I LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. # 

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tlte? $«w S° $ 

# # 

| UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. J 



The Month of St. Joseph. 



The Month 



SAINT JOSEPH; 

OR ' . i niu j mT 
EXERCIS ES' ' ' 
| for ^, rrmttHfej n 
lEadj 3 a i) of tlje J^outij of JHarclj* 



RT. REV. M. DE LANGALERIE, 

Bishop of Belley. 
Translated from the Frenxh by a Sister of St. Joseph. 

f>crm*.s5U £ntpcricrum. 

■ 

New York: 

D. & j. SADLIER & CO., PUBLISHERS, 

31 BARCLAY STREET. 



1876. 



■13 



The Library 
of Congress 

WASHINGTON 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the yeai 1874, by 

D. & J. SADLTER & CO., 
In the Office of the Libiarian of Congress, Washington, D.C. 



THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 



N the preface of the "Introduc- 
tion to a Devout Life," Saint 
Francis de Sales, anticipat- 
ing the reproach of having devoted to 
that work more time than the care .of 
a diocese could have allowed him, re- 
plied, with the great Saint Denis, that 
the perfecting of souls belongs princi- 
pally to bishops, and their time could 
not be more usefully employed than in 
w riling books the reading of which 
might animate souls to a desire of per- 
fection. These words, evdn more than 
the success of the holy author of the 

5 




vi 



The Author's Preface. 



"Devout Life," justify our own desire in 
the writing of this work. To have 
Saint Joseph honored and imitated by 
the faithful, to propose to them the med- 
itation of his virtues and the practice 
of devotion to him, appears to us an ex- 
cellent means towards promoting the 
good of souls, in conformity with the 
desire of Saint Denis and the idea of 
Saint Francis de Sales. We are happy 
in the hope that even after our death 
this little work will inspire our breth- 
ren with holy sentiments, generous re- 
solutions, love of God and of their neigh- 
bor. We recomtnend the spirit of sac- 
rifice and the obligation which binds us 
to the practice of self-denial and Chris- 
tian mortification. Each day we indi- 



The Author's Preface. 



vu 



cate a different means of bringing; home 
to ourselves this important teaching of 
the Gospel ; and the practices which Ave 
propose need not so engage us as to 
interfere with duties towards those 
claiming our attention. The great ten- 
dency of the age is a desire of comfort, 
ease, self-indulgence, and independence. 
Such being directly opposed to the 
spirit of Christianity, no effort should be 
spared in destroying it in ourselves and 
averting its dread consequences from 
others. 

The Month of Saint Joseph occurs 
in Lent, during which season the duty 
of mortification of our passions and na^ 
tural inclinations is more frequently re- 
called to our minds. The exercises of 



vm 



The Author's Preface. 



the Month of Saint Joseph must not 
-conflict with those of Lent. We should 
assist at evening prayers in the Church, 
and attend to the particular instructions 
given there. These exercises in honor 
of Saint Joseph may form a supple- 
ment of devotion, which will be the 
more meritorious and profitable to our 
souls inasmuch as we will be the more 
exact in the fulfilment of the important 
duties imposed on us by the Church 
during the holy season of Lent. No- 
thing can replace the admirable prac- 
tices of religious assemblies and the 
hearing of sermons and instructions 
taken from the gospel of the clay, or 
the mysteries commemorated by the 
Church. 



The Author's Preface. 



The duty of giving edification rests 
on each and every one of us. We 
should bear in mind that each parish is 
a family, the members of which are unit- 
ed by faith, and mutually owe good 
example to one another. Having 
opened by using his apology, so now 
we conclude in the words of our belov- 
ed Saint Francis de Sales: " A practis- 
ed flower-girl so skilfully varies the 
hue and mixture that with the same 
flowers she arranges a great variety 
of bouquets; thus the Holy Ghost dis- 
poses with as much diversity the in- 
struction of devotion, which is given us 
through the tongues and pens of his 
servants ; that, although the doctrine be 
the same, the mode of treating it differs 



X 



The Author's Preface, 



according to the several methods in 
which they are composed.'* Here is our 
bouquet, which, though much inferior 
to that of Saint Francis de Sales, we 
present with a heart deeply devoted to 
the salvation of souls. 

Amen. 



CONTENTS. 



Eve of the First Day, - - - - i$ 

FIRST DAY. 

St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Vir- 
gin, 25 

SECOND DAY. 

St. Joseph, Foster-Father of Jesus 
Christ, - -. - - - - - 31 

THIRD DAY. 
St. Joseph, Model of Justice, - - 38 

FOURTH DAY. 

St. Joseph, Model of a Life of Faith, 43 

FIFTH DAY. 

St. Joseph, the Last and Greatest of 
the Patriarchs, 49 

SIXTH DAY. 

St. Joseph, Model of Remembrance of 
the Presence of God, - - - 56 

SEVENTH DAY. 
St. Joseph Confirmed in Grace, - - 63 



Xll 



Contents. 



EIGHTH DAY. 
St. Joseph, Model of Union with Jesus 

Christ, ------- 70 



NINTH DAY. 
St. Joseph, First Confessor of the 
New Law, - - - - 76 



TENTH DAY. 
St. Joseph, Model of Hope, 82 



ELEVENTH DAY. 

St. Joseph, Model of Patience and 
Mortification, 89 



TWELFTH DAY. 

St. Joseph, Model of the Love of God 
and of Sufferings, 96 



THIRTEENTH DAY. 
St. Joseph, Model of Ardent Charity, 103 

FOURTEENTH DAY. 
St. Joseph, Head of the Holy Family, 109 

FIFTEENTH DAY. 

St. Joseph, Model of the Hidden Life, 11$ 

SIXTEENTH DAY. 
St. Joseph, Model of Justice, - - 121 



Contents. 



xiii 



SEVENTEENTH DAY. 
St, Joseph, Model of Charity towards 
our Neighbor, ----- 127 

EIGHTEENTH DAY 
St. Joseph, Model of Humility, - - 133 

NINETEENTH DAY. 
St. Joseph, Model of Religious, - - 140 



TWENTIETH DAY, 

St. Joseph, Model of Obedience, - * - - 147 

TWENTY-FIRST DAY. 

St. Joseph, Model of Religious Obe- 
dience, 153 

TWENTY-SECOND DAY. 
St. Joseph, Depositary of the Secrets 
of God, 157 

TWENTY-THIRD DAY. 

St. Joseph, Model of Prudence, - - 163 

TWENTY-FOURTH DAY. 
St. Joseph, Model of Chastity, - - 168 

TWENTY-FIFTH DAY. 
St. Joseph, Model of Purity, - - 173 



xiv 



Contents. 



TWENTY-SIXTH DAY. 

St. Joseph, Model of Attention in 
Prayer, - - - - - 179 

' TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY. 

St. Joseph, Model of Interior Recol- 
lection, - - - - - - 184 



TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY. 
St. Joseph, our Protector, - - - 190 



TWENTY-NINTH DAY. 

St. Joseph, Patron of a Happy Death, 196 



THIRTIETH DAY. 

St. Joseph, Patron of a Happy Death, 203 



THIRTY-FIRST DAY. 

Benefits Derived from Devotion to 



St. Joseph, 210 

Act of Consecration to St. Joseph, - 214 

Litany of St. Joseph, - - - 216 

Prayer to St. Joseph, .... 224 

Novena to St. Joseph, 226 

Thirty Days' Prayer to St. Joseph, - 238 



MONTH OF ST. JOSEPH. 



^YE OF THE JMRST JDa Y. 



lie ad Joseph. 



Go to Joseph . 



HESE words were addressed by Pha- 



^ rao to his subjects, who, when ha- 
rassed by famine and distress, implored 
his aid. And we introduce them at the 
commencement of these pious exercises in 
order to establish a striking resemblance 
between the two patriarchs who, sepa- 
rated by an interval of seventeen centuries, 
have borne the glorious name of Joseph. 

First Resemblance : The trials to 
which they were subjected. — Those of the 
first Joseph are so well known that 
there needs be no repetition of them. 
Pursued by the inveterate hatred of his 




i6 



Eve of the First Day. 



brothers, and traitorously sold into slavery 
by them, he relied on God alone as the 
protector of his weakness and defender 
of his innocence. The second Joseph, 
though a descendant of the kings of Juda, 
lived in obscurity and poverty bordering 
on want. An outcast in Bethlehem, 
obliged to flee from Egypt, and aban- 
doned by men, he w r as supported in his 
trials by his confidence, love, and fidelity 
towards God. 

Let us learn from the example of these 
two great patriarchs how to endure the 
trials attendant on our journey through 
life, and let us be animated by the influ- 
ence of this thought: God is with me, He 
loves and protects me. Si Dens pro nobis, 
qnis contra nos — " If God is for us, who is 
against us ? " 

Second Resemblance : The nature of 
their duties, and the manner in zuhieh these 
duties were fulfilled. — The first Joseph was 



Eve of the First Day. 



a faithful servant in the house of Puti- 
phar, a prudent and upright minister in 
the court of Pharao. Neither the allure- 
ments of pleasure, nor the fear of chastise- 
merits, nor the perfidious fascinations of 
human grandeur, could shake his fidelity. 
Ever faithful in his duty towards God, he 
was likewise dutiful to his master, occupy- 
ing himself with the care of his own soul 
in preference to all other interests. The 
second Joseph w 7 as also a most, faithful 
minister in a royalty far more exalted and 
important than the one with which the 
well-beloved son of Jacob was honored. 
Charged by the Almighty, the Eternal. 
King of ages, to be the protector of the 
life, and guardian of the virginal purity 
of the august Mary, Mother of God, he 
was likewise entrusted with the guardian- 
ship of the infancy and youth of the Sa- 
viour, thus bearing the relation of foster- 
father to the Redeemer of the human race. 



iS 



Eve of the First Day. 



My God ! what a beautiful, grand, and 
sublime mystery ! St. Joseph fulfilled his 
ministry agreeably to the wishes of his 
Sovereign, who himself deigns to render 
testimony to his justice when in the Gos- 
pel He says, " Joseph was a just man." 
But if Joseph was a just and, by conse- 
quence, a faithful and prudent guardian of 
the two inestimable treasures that were 
confided to him, it is because, as the 
Scriptures express it, " He hath not re- 
ceived his soul in vain." He knew that an 
account should be rendered of the manner 
in which he discharged his duty as protec- 
tor of the virgin Mother and her divine 
Son. 

Each one of us has a mission to fulfil, a 
ministry of some kind to exercise, and we 
should learn fidelity from the example of 
St. Joseph. Our eternal salvation depends 
on the faithful discharge of our duties. 
The savinsr of our own soul would be in 



Eve of the First Day. 



*9 



itself a ministry, but, alas ! how many other 
souls depend also on us ! We should, then, 
while endeavoring to save our own souls, 
do all in our power towards the saving of 
souls confided to our care, so that at death 
these sweet words may be addressed to us : 
''Well done, thou good and faithful ser- 
vant ; because thou hast been faithful over 
few things, I will set thee over many 
things : enter thou into the joy of thy 
Lord." 

Third Resemblance : Their connection 
zvith Jesus Clirist. — The first Joseph, in 
his trials and afflictions, as well as in his 
triumphs, is regarded as one of the most 
striking images of Jesus Christ. It was 
not without a mysterious coincidence that 
Pharao gave him a name signifying sa- 
viour of the world. Though the second Jo- 
seph did not himself bear the name Saviour 
of mankind, he had the privilege of giving 
it to Him by whom alone it was merited. 



20 



Eve of the First Day, 



He was appointed protector of the person 
of Jesus, his guardian and foster-father. 
Jesus redeemed the world, and Joseph 
guarded and protected Jesus. We have 
said that he acquitted himself as a just 
man and faithful servant' in his great and 
elevated mission ; but we must add here, 
that it was through the intimate and direct 
influence of the Saviour that he accom- 
plished the designs of God, and arrived at 
the perfection of his ministry. He was 
one of the first and most admirable imita- 
tors of the great Model, whom he closely 
contemplated. The spirit of the Saviour 
became his spirit, whereby he attained 
that new birth mentioned by Nicodemus, 
which consists of divesting ourselves of 
our own will, combatting our inclinations, 
and subjecting our passions to reason and 
religion, that our lives may be in accord- 
ance with the spirit of Jesus Christ. The 
first Joseph felt this influence in an indi- 



Eve of the First Day. 



21 



rect manner, as all the just of the Old 
Testament participated in the grace of the 
Redemption, though in a way constrained 
by the fact that the institutions of the old 
law were not in themselves perfect. Dat- 
ing from St. John the Baptist, the Blessed 
Virgin, and St. Joseph, the spirit of the 
new law spreads itself with a plenitude and 
rapidity which manifests the presence of 
the. Incarnate Word. 

, Have we entered into the spirit of Jesus 
Christ by our fidelity to His law and con- 
formity with His divine will ? 

he ad Joseph : Come, then, to Joseph* 
God, the Sovereign Master, invites you to 
Joseph in confiding the Author of grace 
to his care. 

Ite ad Joseph : "Come to Joseph,'' says 
the Holy Church ; and it is not with her 
as of old with ungrateful Egypt, who, after 
a few centuries, had forgotten the memory 
of her benefactor. The Church, on the 



Eve of the First Day. 



contrary, attaches itself by a closer lie tc 
the remembrance of St. Joseph according 
as it recedes from the period of his mortal 
life. Instead of the material food with 
which the ancient patriarch fed the Egyp- 
tians, Joseph has received and guarded for 
us the life-giving bread descended from 
heaven to nourish and sanctity our souls. 
Like Jesus and Mary, you must repair the 
impious outrages and blasphemies against 
the majesty of God. Where is the virginal 
purity of Mary, where the glory of St. 
Joseph, when Jesus is spoken of by infidels 
as an ordinary man, and His birth not re- 
garded as a miracle of the power of God ? 
Ite ad Joseph. The first Joseph demanded 
g the Egyptians to sacrifice and abandon 
their individual fortunes for the common 
good ; and our Joseph asks you to divest 
yourself of your imperfections, to replace 
which he offers you the love of Jesus. 



Eve of the First Day. 



23 



PRAYER. 

' OLY St. Joseph! behold at your 
L feet humble clients, ardently desir- 
ing to profit by the graces attached to $ 
your example and intercession. We pray 
that during this month our souls may be 
prepared for the worthy reception of our 
divine Saviour. Guardian of Jesus! be 
our protector and our guide. Pray for us, 
and present our prayers, purified by thine, 
to the heart of Jesus and the immaculate 
heart of Mary. Amen. 

RESOLUTIONS. 
TAURING the course of the day recall 
to your mind the preceding refle-c- 

tions: 

Repeat from time to time the invoca- 
tion : " Go to Joseph." 

Enter into the spirit of the holy season 
of Lent, and comply with the require- 
ments of the Church. 




24 



Eve of the First Day. 



Do not seek dispensation from the 
Lenten fast without sufficient cause. 

Recite the Pater and . Ave once, and 
St. Joseph, pray for us, three times. 





J^irst Pay. 

ST. JOSEPH, SPOUSE OF THE BLESSED 
VIRGIN. 



Sancte Joseph in Sponsum 
Marice pro omnibus electe, 
ora pro nobis. 



Saint Joseph, chosen from 
among men to be the Spouse 
of Mary, pray for us. 



THIRST POINT : The first and most es- 
A sential attribute of St. Joseph is that 
of Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 
He is only the foster-father of Jesus 
Christ, but he is the spouse of the Virgin 
Mother of God. He was chosen from 
among thousands, from among tens of 
thousands, from among all men, to be 
honored by this glorious privilege. A 
pious tradition relates that when the 
choice of a husband was imposed on the 
Blessed Virgin, her guardian called to- 

»5 



26 



First Day. 



gether all her relations of the race of 
David and tribe of Juda. Joseph came 
among the others who aspired to the 
honor; but his modesty kept him at a dis- 
tance until the Almighty, by a miracle, 
decided in his favor. Each candidate left 
an almond-tree rod in the temple in the 
evening, and the next day the dry and 
withered branch of Joseph, like that which 
of old secured the priesthood to Aaron, 
was found green and blossomed with fra- 
grant flowers- — graceful symbols of the vir- 
tues that had fixed the choice of God on 
Joseph to be the guardian of the most 
precious treasure, after the humanity of 
Jesus Christ, that earth ever possessed. 
That treasure belonged to God and to men, 
but in a particular manner to St. Joseph ; 
for the sacred tie that bound the affections 
united the lives of Joseph and Mary. Let 
us^ admire this privilege, and congratulate 
our glorious protector on its possession. 



First Day. 



27 



Recall to mind the words he so fre- 
quently addressed to himself: Spouse of 
Mary ; what an honor ! what a grace ! what 
a responsibility ! 

Second Point: One practical reflec- 
tion is the mainspring of the doctrine con- 
tained in the first point of this meditation. 
To Mary Joseph owed the honor of his 
close relationship to Jesus. He was re- 
garded as the foster-father of Jesus only 
by his title of spouse of Mary, and the 
graces and privileges granted him were 
essential to his connections with her. This 
fact, important in its application to all 
Christians, is particularly so to us. Our 
relations with Jesus should be through 
! Mary, since every good comes to us from 
Him through her. By His birth of her 
He became our brother, and we became 
her children by the adoption made at the 
foot of the cross on Calvary. Let us, 
then, go to Jesus through Mary, and to 



28 First Day. 



Mary through our glorious protector, St. 
Joseph. If we pray to him, he will obtain 
for us, by his intercession with Jesus and 
M ary, an abundance of heavenly graces 
emanating from the loving heart of Jesus 
and the maternal hands of our loving 
Mother, Mary. 

Third Point : What an honor! Let us 
repeat these words in unison with St. Jo- 
seph congratulating himself on the glorious 
title which united him to Mary. What an 
honor, what a responsibility, but also what 
a grace ! These three words may be applied 
to all who have received vocations to leave 
ail and follow Christ. Priests and religious 
should frequently entertain this salutary 
reflection: what a responsibility rests on 
those favored by God and honored wiJi 
this grace of graces ! 

The Christian should ponder on these 
words, and apply them to himself. The 
vocation to Christianity by baptism is the 



First Day. 



29 



greatest and most estimable of all graces. 
What an honor to be a child of God and 
of His Church, brother and co-heir of Jesus 
Christ, and the temple of the Holy Ghost! 
But, alas! what a responsibility to be the 
possessor of precious treasures carried in 
frail vases; for baptism has not freed us 
from the effects of concupiscence. 

The fears awakened by this responsi- 
bility may, however, be removed by the 
thought of the superabundant graces which 
flow from the mercy and love of God — 
graces which are intended not only to be 
applied to our own souls, but which also 
are designed and should be made profit- 
able to the many souls whose salvation 
and eternal happiness depend on us. 

PRAYER. 

LORIOUS St. Joseph, my holy pro- 
V^* tector, obtain that my soul may 
derive benefit from this first exercise. 



So 



First Day. 



Thou who didst so often conduct Jesus in 
His infancy, guide me and protect me dur- 
ing these days which I offer and consecrate 
to thee. Lead me to Mary and to Jesus, 
and teach me to know and love them more 
fully and ardently. 

TOURING the course of the day recall 
— to your mind the preceding reflec- 
tions. 

Repeat from time to time the invocation : 
St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin : 
Mary, pray for us. 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. 

Restrain curiosity. 

Accept, without manifesting ill-humor, 
the vexations consequent on the exercises 
of duty and charity. 

Do not eat between meals. 

Recite the Pater and Ave once, and the 
St. Joseph, pray for us, three times. 



JSecond Pat. 



ST. JOSEPH, FOSTER-FATHER OF JESUS 
CHRIST. 



Sancte Joseph, cujus fit i us dici j St. Joseph, foster-father of the 
putari di gnat us est Jilius \ Son of God, pray for us. 
Dei, ora pro nobis. \ 



T. JOSEPH is not, it is true, the 



w father of Jesus Christ according to 
nature, nevertheless his office towards the 
Son of God gave him all the rights of 
paternity. 

First Point : God manifestly recognized 
the parental right of St. Joseph. — Previous 
to the advent of Christ, it was the design 
of Providence to conceal from the world 
and from Satan the coming of the Saviour 
and his birth of a virgin ; hence God 
willed that St. Joseph should be regarded 




3- 



32 



Second Day. 



as the father of our Lord. To manifest 
this design, all the rights and all the honors 
of paternity were accorded to him, and his 
heart was animated with parental love 
towards Jesus. As the gifts of God are 
never recalled, it follows that during all 
eternity St. Joseph will possess these privi- 
leges. Sweet and cherished thought for 
hearts devoted to the service of God ! 
Solid and immovable foundation on which 
to raise a tender and ardent affection to 
St. Joseph ! These thoughts are evidently 
and clearly established, since Heaven has 
deigned to confirm, by a singular develop- 
ment, the extent of the glory of St. Joseph. 
Let our mind dwell on these three truths : 
God has given to St. Joseph, 1st, The 
honor of paternity towards our Lord ; 2d, 
The rights of this paternity; 3d, Most pa- 
ternal affection for him. What precious 
gifts, rich in the wealth of power implied 
in their possession ! What treasures of 



Second Day. 



33 



tenderness and bounty they place in the 
heart of St. Joseph ! 

Second Point: St. Joseph's right of 
paternity is recognized by men. — That St. 
Joseph, during his life, was regarded as the 
foster-father of our divine Saviour is proved 
by the language of the Jews on various 
occasions.' Is He riot, say they, the son of 
Joseph, the son of the carpenter? These 
were, according to their idea, expressions 
of contempt for our Lord ; they knew not 
that these words served to increase beyond 
measure the dignity and standing of His* 
foster-father. They would have known 
this had the mystery of the Incarnation 
been revealed to them as it was to St. 
Joseph, But as their hearts were not 
prepared for this favor, the knowledge was 
not accorded them. St. Joseph held secret 
this revelation by the command of God. 
He loved this silence, inasmuch as it was 
to him a source of happiness to obey the 



34 



Second Day. 



God of mercy and truth. His title of 
father was universally recognized by his 
contemporaries ; and he regarded it as an 
incomparable honor to be associated in 
this most intimate manner with the igno- 
minies of the Saviour. Of Jesus Christ 
they said : " This is the son of the car- 
penter of St. Joseph they might have 
said: " This is the father of the Galilean." 
Let us learn from this example that, when 
the wicked inflict outrages and persecu- 
tions on us, they serve to promote our 
honor and glory, providing we suffer them 
for God or in the cause of religion. We 
should rejoice to be deemed worthy of per- 
secution for justice's sake. Let us pardon 
our persecutors, and love them, that our 
patience may triumph over their malice, 
and redound to the eternal honor of the 
Christian faith. Vinco in bono malum — 
" Overcome evil by good." 

THIRD POINT : St. Joseph's right of pa- 



Second Day, 



35 



ternity manifested by the actions of our 
Lord. — u He was subject to them." This 
one sentence of the Gospel suffices to show 
that our Lord was subject to Joseph and 
to Mary as a son is subject to his parents. 
Jesus was regarded as the son of Joseph, 
as much by the respect, deference, and 
affection which he manifested toward his 
foster-father, as by all the other appear- 
ances which justify this title. And Jesus 
would not act a part. It was necessary 
that He should experience — let us speak 
clearly — that He should really feel for St. 
Joseph the sentiments which were express- 
ed in His manner towards him. Jesus 
Christ, then, had for St. Joseph the heart- 
felt affection of the most tender, loving, 
respectful, and obedient of all sons. Let 
us congratulate St. Joseph on this filial 
tenderness which our Lord had for him. 
How many spiritual favors must have been 
given St. Joseph, and what an increase of 



3^ 



Second Day. 



virtue and merit must have been produced 
in him by the love of Jesus! A proof is 
hereby given us of the powerful protection 
of this great saint. Were I master, what 
would I not do for my parents ? said a 
good son. Jesus Christ is Master, and 
during life He gave His foster-father vir- 
tue, which is more than all the riches and 
treasures of the earth ; and now, in heaven, 
He gives him power. 



OLY St. Joseph, foster-father of Je- 



A A sus Christ, behold at your feet His 
brethren an'd your children. Have for us 
the solicitude of a father. Take from us 
the joys of home, family, and country, if 
their possession be detrimental to our 
souls ; seek for us if we wander from the 
path traced out by your example ; seek 
us until we \vill have heard your voice ; 
receive our petitions ; dry our tears ; guard 



PRAYER. 




Second Day. 37- 



us, and grant that we may always be to* 
you as was the divine Saviour Himself— 
tender, submissive, and respectful. Amen. . 



RESOLUTIONS. 



T~\URING the course of the day recall 
to mind the preceding reflections. 
Repeat occasionally the invocation : St., 
Joseph, foster-father of Jesus Christ, pray 
for us. 

Refrain from light reading. 

Endure cheerfully the inclemencies of f 
the season. 

Recite the Pater and Ave once, and St t . 
Joseph, pray for us, three times. 



JHIRD pAY. 



ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF JUSTICE. 

Sancte JosefiJi ^qui i?t Evangelio \ St. Joseph^ who in the Gospel 
I 

vocatus est Justus^ or a pro i is styled Just \ pray Jir u>\ 
nobis. ' 

THIRST POINT: St. Joseph was just. 

Every Christian should strive to 
merit the attribute of justice. It is not 
sufficient for him to possess honesty and 
uprightness. An honest man may be 
guided solely by the uncertain light of 
reason ; and he may be governed by a 
conscience which is perhaps influenced by 
public opinion. The just man. on the con- 
trary, is directed by the word' of God and 
by the will of God, as clearly demonstrated 
in the Church, and he relies on the assist- 
ance of grace for the accomplishment of 
the Divine will in himself. He says with 

?8 



Third Day. 



39 



David, " Make me to understand the way 
of Thy justification, and I shall be exer- 
cised in Thy wondrous works. I have run 
in the way of Thy commandments, and 
Thou didst enlarge my heart." Beautiful 
words! the sense of which is a thousand 
times repeated by the prophet. St. Joseph 
must have pronounced them frequently, 
for they were ever in his heart. It was the 
law of God, the will of God, and the word 
of God, which served him as the rule, the 
principle, and the support of his life and 
actions. What is our principle, and what 
our rule of action ? Let us not be content 
with gaining the esteem of men, and being 
considered honest according to the stand- 
ard of public opinion. As Christians and 
children of God, we should regulate our 
conduct by the example of Jesus Christ 
and the will of the Eternal Father. 

Second Point : St. Joseph was just. 
Justice, in the language of the Holy Scrip- 



40 



Third Day. 



tures, embraces all virtues. By failing in 
one, we shall incur the displeasure ot 
Him who inculcated them all ; for as St. 
James says, " And whosoever shall keep 
the whole law, but offend in one point, is 
become guilty of all." St. Joseph was not 
governed by natural inclination nor self- 
interest. He was just — just always, in all 
things, and towards all persons. Can we 
render a like testimony of ourselves? Is 
there not some one virtue, the practice of 
which we entirely neglect ? We frequent- 
ly allege our natural bent of character as 
an excuse for the defects over which we 
should watch with the greatest care, on 
account of their having become to us a 
second nature. Alas ! character and habit 
cause us to commit many faults, and retard 
us in the acquisition and practice of virtue. 

Third Point: St. Joseph was just. 
The word justice reminds us that we owe 
God the fulfilment of every virtue, and it 



Third Day. 



4* 



is in this sense that the word is used by 
the writers of the sacred Scripture. To be 
just implies the possession of all virtues. 
God has an absolute right to our entire 
submission. He aids us by His grace ir, 
every act of supernatural virtue ; hence our 
virtues and merits appertain much more to 
Him than to ourselves, on account of tlu 
powerful and indispensable assistance given 
us in the acquisition of them. St. Joseph, 
deeply impressed with these thoughts, was 
just and humble. We may say that he 
received innumerable graces, and was al- 
most forced to respond to them ; but every 
man is likewise given grace sufficient for his 
justification. Let us, then, be just. God 
will demand a rigorous account of the talents 
He has given, or rather confided, to each 
one of us. Every soul should increase in 
virtue according to the measure of graces 
which it receives. God, who is infinite 
justice, eternal bounty, and everlasting 



42 



Third Day. 



love, will be guided in His judgments 
equally by justice and mercy. 



T. JOSEPH, intercede for us. Ten 



just souls would have sufficed to save 
the guilty city. These ten souls could not 
have presented an homage so acceptable to 
God as thou alone canst offer Him. Their 
supplications could not have moved the 
heart of Jesus as thine can awaken its com- 
passion. Pray, then, for us, our kind pro- 
tector, and save us from the Divine anger. 
Obtain for us grace to fulfil our duties, 
correct our faults, and practise virtue. 

RESOLUTIONS. 




ECALL to mind the preceding reflec- 
tions. 



Repeat from time to time, St. Joseph, 
!Model of Justice, pray for us. 



PRAYER. 





Jmdurth Pay. 

ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF THE LIFE OF 
FAITH. 



Sancte Joseph, qtiiin Evangelio 
vocattts est Justus^ ora pro 
nobis. 



St. Joseph, who in the Gospel 
is styled just y pray for as. 



I7AITII is the source, the rule, and the 
■** principle of the moral and spiritual 
life in the soul of the just man. His 
mind is impressed and occupied with the 
teachings and practices of faith. For the 
better understanding of this mysterious, 
all-ruling power, let us consider the life oi 
faith in St. Joseph. 

FIRST POINT : Faith manifested in the 
life of St. Joseph. — St. Joseph submitted 
his understanding to the most profound 
mysteries of faith, even when these mys- 
teries demanded the greatest sacrifices on 

43 



44 



Fourth Day. 



his part. He believed that God spoke and 
manifested His will to him : hence his 
faith was reasonable. Our faith should be 
strong and lively, for it is eminently reason- 
able. We believe incomprehensible myste- 
ries, it is true, but our belief is based on 
the word of God, for He speaks by means 
of enlightened prophets and incontestable 
miracles. Ancient proofs, some of which 
are renewed in our own days, attest that 
the Church is the divinely authorized inter- 
preter between God and man. Faith adds 
to the light of reason by manifesting new 
objects of knowledge, and it confirms 
truths of the natural order by its unexcep- 
tionable testimony. If the human intellect 
would gain in strength and power, let it be 
penetrated by the life of faith. The great- 
est and sublimest intellects were believers. 

Second - Point : Life of faith in the 
heart of St. Joseph. — Faith assumes its 
true character and essential quality only in 



Fourth Day. 



45 



the heart of the believer. The damned 
believe and tremble. Their knowledge 
gives but remorse, and causes them to blas- 
pheme the truths to which they are forced 
to testify. Such is not the faith of the 
just man, such was not the faith of St. Jo- 
seph. He revered the mysteries which 
were successively revealed to him, and he 
lived in the hope of the promised Re- 
deemer, ardently desiring and awaiting His 
coming. Let us cherish our faith, and, 
above all, let the emotions of our heart be 
directed by its saving influence. Every 
mystery of our holy religion proves the 
bounty and love of God towards his crea- 
tures. Faith finds a subject for thanks and 
love even in the contemplation of hell, 
into which the devil fain w r ould drag us, 
that there we might join with him blas- 
pheming God. Is not the fear of hell one 
of the most effective means to preserve us 
from the severity of the judgments of 



4 6 



Fourth Day, 



God ? Though here on earth we may 
faintly perceive the greatness of the love 
that God bears us, it is only in heaven that 
we shall fully understand its plenitude. 

Third Point : Life of faith in the ac- 
tions of St. foseph. — In the various cir- 
cumstances related in the Gospel concern- 
ing St. Joseph, we learn that he conducted 
himself according to the lights given him 
by God, and not merely to human wisdom 
and prudence. We are thereby authorized 
to conclude that in those actions not men- 
tioned St. Joseph was actuated by the 
same principle. He was a lover of justice, 
and he lived the life of taith. This life 
does not consist in the performance of 
great or singular actions, nor in certain 
religious practices, even though these prac- 
tices should form a daily order of exer- 
cises. It is a series of acts ever active and 
always acting. Faith harmonizes the con- 
duct and animates every work. It directs 



Fourth Day. 47 



our thoughts and moderates and purines 
our sentiments. It solicits the grace and 
blessing of God on our repasts ; it invokes 
His paternal care over our repose and cur 
relaxations, that they may exceed in no- 
thing, and be conformed in all things to the 
Divine will. It supports, animates, and 
strengthens us in - our labors and occupa- 
tions, by teaching us to offer them to the 
majesty of God, or to honor His infinite 
bounty. It reminds us of heaven, and de- 
taches us from earth, conformably to those 
words of St. Paul : "If you be risen with 
Christ, seek the things that are above, where 
Christ is sitting at the right hand of God ; 
mind the things that are above, not the 
things that are on the earth." 

PRAYER. 

Tk IT Y God, I firmly believe all the sacred 
^ * A truths the Catholic Church believes 
and teaches, because Thou hast revealed 




48 



Fourth Day, 



them, who neither canst deceive nor be de- 
ceived. 

RESOLUTIONS. 

T^vURING the course of the day, recall 
to mind the preceding reflections. 

Repeat, from time to time, the invoca- 
tion : St. Joseph, model of the life ot faith, 
pray for us. 

Conform your will to the will of God. 

Say a decade of the beads for the souls 
in Purgatory. 

Recite the Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray for us, three 
times. 




T 



ST. JOSEPH, THE LAST AND GREATEST OF 



Sa?icte Joseph , ftatriarcharum I .9/. Joseph, t':e last and great- 



IRST POINT : We find increased and 



A perfected in St. Joseph that which 
we most admire in the patriarchs. The 
authority of the patriarch extends itself to 
all, and rules all things with a sovereign 
independence. The patriarch is a figure 
of God ruling His children and servants. 
He commands with an absolute authority 
which is always respected. St. Joseph 
appears thus to us in the family of which 
he is the head. Let us follow him to 
Bethlehem, to Egypt, and to Nazareth, 



THE PATRIARCHS. 



culmen, ora pro nobis. 



est of the patriarchs, Pray 
for us. 




4Q 



Fifth Day. 



and see him everywhere supremely exer- 
cising his paternal authority. Fie acts in 
the name ot God, and as His immediate 
representative. What family can be com- 
pared to this, wherein Jesus and Mary are 
members? What supereminent authority 
is implied in the power to command a 
God made man and His Mother, the most 
privileged of all creatures ; and at the 
same time, what admirable sweetness do 
we behold in the exercise of that patri- 
archal authority in him who is to become 
the type of Christian paternity ! Christian 
parents, in the government of your chil- 
dren, take for your model the patriarch St. 
Joseph. Learn from him to command 
according to the right you hold from God, 
and with the sweetness inspired by the 
example of St. Joseph. Thus you will 
gain the obedience, respect, and love ot 
your children. At the same time, under- 
stand that, to possess the authority of the 



Fifth Day. 



5 1 



patriarchs, it is necessary to have their 
spirit. 

Second Point: Consider the spirit of 
the patriarchs. St. Paul says, "All these 
died according to faith, not having re- 
ceived the promises, but beholding them 
afar off, and saluting them, and confessing 
that they are pilgrims and strangers on the 
earth." The greatest among them lived 
only in tents. Behold the spirit of the 
patriarchs! The passing enjoyments and 
terrestrial happiness which God allowed 
them did not divert their minds from the 
final object— the bliss of heaven ; though 
faith taught them this could not be ob- 
tained until after the death ot the God- 
Man, and His triumphant ascension into 
heaven. This spirit was perfected in St. 
Joseph. It is true he did not wait as long 
as his predecessors had waited tor the ac- 
complishment of these promises. The 
time of his death almost coincided with 



52 



Fifth Day. 



the epoch long and ardently desired by 
the patriarchs, when their souls should 
arrive at the possession of heavenly de- 
lights purchased for them through the 
merits of Jesus Christ. " The days of my 
pilgrimage are few and evil," said Jacob, 
notwithstanding the many consolations 
with which divine Providence alleviated 
his sorrows. Tradition tells us that the 
days of St. Joseph were fewer and more 
sorrowful. But the thought of heaven, 
which was to be the recompense of his life 
of trials and sacrifice, assuaged his pains — 
that heaven of which the society of Jesus 
and Mary had already given him a fore- 
taste ; that heaven which he greeted as 
near, was to him a subject replete with 
desire, hope, and happiness. 

Christian parents, such should be your 
spirit. We have not here a lasting city. 
Your children are given you more for the 
purpose of fitting them for heaven than of 



! 



Fifth Day. 



53 



qualifying them for earthly positions. 
Possessing these thoughts and this spirit, 
a sense oi your sublime duties will be im- 
posed upon you, and impressed upon your 
children. Having the spirit of the patri- 
archs, you will possess their authority also, 
and thus perpetuate the patriarchal family. 

Third Point : The numerous posterity 
of the patriarchs. The patriarchs num- 
bered their children by families, and, from 
the tribute given for each member, they 
knew the number of their subjects. God 
multiplied them so that in number they 
equalled the sands of the sea or the stars of 
the firmament. The family of St. Joseph 
is not less blessed in the prodigious num- 
ber of his posterity. His is the family or 
Jesus and Mary — the Christian family. 
Who can enumerate this family, propa- 
gating its members everywhere, and with 
them their traditions and their faith? In 
what is the patriarchal family comparable 



54 



Fifth Day. 



to the children of St. Joseph? Thank 
God for having called you to be a member 
of this family, and prove yourself worthy 
of the favor by maintaining yourself 
and your associates in the spirit of 
Jesus Christ. Strive to merit for yourself 
a plenitude of the spiritual benedictions 
corresponding to the fruitfulness of the 
patriarchal family. Your counsels, autho- 
rity, and example can engender numerous 
children to God and to the Church. How- 
great is the posterity of the saints, multi- 
plied in the orders of which they are the 
founders, in the sinners converted by their 
teachings, and the saints formed by their 
example, their writings, or their interces- 
sion ! 



JLORIOUS St. Joseph, whom I am 



. happy to call father, since I belong 
to the family over which your patriarchal 
authority was exercised, obtain for me the 



PRAYER. 




Fifth Bay. 



55 



grace to comply with my duties. In all 
my undertakings, obtain for me the spirit 
of detachment for created things, and a 
desire of heavenly gifts. 

RESOLUTIONS. 
TP) ECALL to mind the preceding re- 
^ ^ flections. 

Repeat occasionally the invocation : St. 
Joseph, the last and greatest ot the patri- 
archs, pray for us. 

Restrain your desire to converse on 
useless subjects. 

Mortify your sense of taste at dinner. 

Recite the Pater and Ave once, and St. 
Joseph, pray for us, three times. 



jSlXTH 



ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF REMEMBRANCE 
OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 



Sancte Joseph patriarcharum \ St. Joseph, the last and great- 



IRST POINT: The patriarchs had a 



lively and a constant remembrance 
of the presence of God. This was incident 
to the expectation and hope in their re- 
demption by the Messiah whom God, in 
Ills boundless mercy, had promised them, 
and of which promise we have spoken in 
t'ne preceding meditation. It was owing 
also to the frequent communications with 
which the Almighty deigned to favor them, 
either in dreams and illuminations, or by 
the ministry of angels. It was likewise 




est of the Patriarchs* pray 
for us. 




Sixth Day. 



57 



due to the spirit of faith by which their 
love was animated. This remembrance 
of the Divine presence caused them to 
address Him with remarkable familiarity 
as the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of 
Jacob. It was, at the same time, a power- 
ful help to keep them in the practice of 
virtue, and make them advance in the 
perfect accomplishment of the Divine will. 
" Walk before me, and be perfect," said 
God Himself to Abraham. This attention 
to the presence of God is the ladder of 
perfection in every state and condition of 
life. St. Joseph, the last and greatest of 
the patriarchs, understood more clearly 
than did any other the excellence of this 
means of perfection, and he practised it 
more faithfully. To convince one's self of 
this truth, it suffices to consider that St. 
Joseph was more impressed with heavenly 
thoughts than the angels could have been ; 
that he was favored with intimate com- 



Sixth Day. 



munications from God more frequently 
than they were; and that his whole life 
was animated by faith. Other proofs are 
to be given, but, before we offer them, let 
us beg of God, through the intercession 
of St. Joseph, that our minds may be 
penetrated with an habitual sense of His 
presence, particularly during prayer and 
before our principal actions. 

Second Point: Two things are neces- 
sary as a means w T hereby to acquire this 
remembrance of the presence of God in a 
direct and practical manner: 1st, To me- 
ditate on God and His perfections, and be 
impressed with the necessity and pleni- 
tude of His being; 2d, It is necessary to 
have these thoughts react on ourselves 
by considering that God, by His omnisci- 
ence, knows fully and clearly the motives 
which animate our thoughts, words, and 
actions, and even the secret workings of 
our inmost soul. The mind and heart of 



Sixth Day. 



10 



St. Joseph, initiated as he was into the 
mysteries of the Incarnation and Redemp- 
tion, must have been continually occupied 
with thoughts of God — His providence, 
His love for man, His omnipresence, and 
His other infinite attributes, all of which 
were revealed to him. Manual labor did 
not distract his mind from the study of 
these truths. It occupied his time without 
debasing or entirely engaging his soul ; cn 
the contrary, his occupations left him even 
more liberty of thought and leisure than 
the study of science, politics, or the agita- 
tions of public life could have allowed 
him. Mechanics, laborers, and servants — 
all who are occupied in manual labor — 
can be interiorly united to God with much 
greater facility than can those whom they, 
perhaps, envy on account of belonging to 
a higher rank in life. Why do we not 
more frequently meditate on God, His 
perfections, and His love? Why do we 



Go 



S'xth Day. 



not regard Him as a father, ' presiding 
over our labors, encouraging us by His 
presence and promise of the reward as- 
sured to those who offer and perform their 
works with the intention of pleasing Him ? 

Third POINT: Joseph had not only the 
remembrance of the presence of God to 
occupy his thoughts and rule his life : he 
had God really present before his eyes in 
the person of Jesus Christ. "And I saw, 
and I gave testimony that this is the Son 
of God," says St. John in the beginning of 
his Gospel. St. Joseph was the first wit- 
ness of this wonder, in order that to him 
might be applied what was of old said to 
Abraham : "I am the Almighty God : 
walk before me, and be perfect." This 
actual Divine presence was almost un- 
known to the patriarchs. 

We Christians have reason to rejoice in 
the privilege of being enabled to study the 
life of Christ in the Gospel, and in receiv- 



Sixth Day. 



Gi 



ing Him in the Holy Eucharist. We may, 
at every instant, find consolation in this 
sweet and divine presence, in which is a 
treasure of grace and heavenly benediction. 
Do w r e imitate St. Joseph in this regard? 



T T OLY Joseph, had I lived with you, 
my heart could have been easily 
impressed with a sense of the presence of 
God by thy example. Obtain for me that 
my heart be animated by a lively faith, so 
that all things may speak to me of God 
and remind me of His presence. 



URING the course of the day, recall 



to mind the preceding reflections. 
Repeat often the invocation : St. Joseph, 
the last and greatest of the patriarchs, pray 
for us. 

Do not contradict others nor criticise 
their actions. 



PRAYER. 



RESOLUTIONS. 




62 



Sixth Day. 



Submit your will to the will of others. 
Mortify your sense of taste at supper. 
Recite the Pater and Ave once, and St 
Joseph, pray for us, three times. 



. JSeyenth Pay. 
ST. JOSEPH CONFIRMED IN GRACE. 

Sattcte Joseph ineffabilibus I St. Joseph, confirmed in grace, 
benedictionibus- dotate, ora I pray for us. 
pro nobis. j 

THIRST POINT: St. Joseph is the Isra- 

- elite descendant of Abraham, Isaac, 

and Jacob. All the blessings given to the 

first-born of the patriarchs were united in 

him ; and they assumed a new character 

hitherto understood with difficulty by the 

holiest persons, and seldom known through 

experience. St. Joseph, in the obscurity 

of his humble life, was animated by the 

spirit of the new law which the example 

and teachings of St. John the Baptist were 

soon to preach to all Judea. The old law 

promised temporal prosperity and eternal 

felicity to the Israelites who would be 
6 3 



6 4 



Seventh Day, 



faithful in its observance. The joys of the 
other life were to them remote conse- 
quences attendant on the coming of the 
Redeemer. The reward of a hundredfold 
in the life to come, promised by Jesus 
Christ for the trials and sacrifices endured 
here for His sake, must have been without 
attraction previous to the teachings of 
Christianity, and until a practical know- 
ledge had been obtained of the merits of 
a soul suffering in union with a crucified 
God, and leading a life most opposed to 
the yearnings of nature. St. Joseph was, 
after the Blessed Virgin Mary, the first to 
manifest in his life this transformation of 
the blessings of the old law. Circumcised 
in the flesh according to the Jewish rite, 
he was circumcised in heart in the new % 
spirit. His share of family inheritance 
during his existence on earth was poverty, 
exile, persecution, and the beatitudes of 
the Gospel. Do we understand and ap- 



Seventh Day. 



6S 



preciate the blessings of the new law of 
love ? Have we tasted of the happiness 
purchased by them ? Are we circumcised 
in heart so as to joyfully endure poverty 
and suffering, and find therein that holy, 
ineffable, hidden sweetness promised by 
the infallible word of Almighty God? Do 
we not, on the contrary, imagine that hap- 
piness unalloyed is experienced by those 
only who are possessed of riches and enjoy 
worldly pleasures, than which no spirit is 
more opposed to the spirit of the Gospel? 

Second Point: St. Joseph was the son 
of David, the descendant of princely an- 
cestors, to whom the throne of Juda had 
been promised as an eternal benediction. 
He was nevertheless a workman, and lived 
in obscurity, Avithout influence, and not re- 
ceiving the honors attendant on rank, po- 
sition, and fortune. But he possessed a 
noble heart, which placed him far above 
his humble condition ; and, despising the 



66 



Seventh Day. 



grandeur of an earthly kingdom, he has for 
a home the heart of Jesus, which is the 
new favor and the true royalty promised 
to the Christian family, of which he is the 
most illustrious representative. The royal 
line of David seemed to have terminated 
in the person of Joseph ; but, on the con- 
trary, it reigns for ever through Joseph 
and Wary, ennobled and transformed by 
' their connections with Jesus Christ. And 
clo we, who belong to this royal family, 
comprehend and esteem this sublime ele- 
vation ? Are our hearts animated by sen- 
timents of noble, generous, royal great- 
ness, even though in an humble and lowly- 
condition, or do we desire the honors and 
privileges of those above us in worldly 
standing? If Providence has blessed us 
with riches and honors, do we not prize 
them too highly, forgetting that the love 
of Jesus should be the highest ambition 
of a soul created to the image of God ? 



Seventh Day. 



6 7 



Third Point : St. Joseph was the last 
just man'under the old law, favored by God 
with dreams of prophetic import. He was 
the first who enjoyed those intimate ecsta- i 
tic revelations with which the saints were 
afterwards blessed. He derived an abund- 
ance of precious graces from his constant 
' relations with Mary and with Jesus Christ, 
the source and giver of all graces, and the 
mediator between God and man. St. Jo- 
seph was not elated by these many myste- 
rious favors. He faithfully co-operated 
with them, thus meriting an increase of 
grace. We Christians receive frequent 
communications from heaven. What use 
do we make of them ? Our guardian 
angels watch over and obtain innumerable 
favors for us ; the Holy Ghost, by his sancti- $ 
fying and inexhaustible love, is in close 
union with a soul faithful to his inspira- 
tions ; and the Sacraments, particularly 
the Holy Eucharist, place us in the 



68 



Seventh Day. 



most intimate relations with Jesus 
Christ. 

Christians ! recognize your dignity ; live 
in correspondence with these precious, 
superabundant, and divine blessings. 



LORIOUS St. Joseph, obtain for us 



the grace to profit by these bless- 
ings in* which we as Christians participate. 
We are of the priestly and royal race, and 
have received the most glorious privileges. 
But are we conscious of the favors bestow- 
ed on us, and do we esteem them accord- 
ing to their worth ? Your greatness con- 
sisted in virtue. Obtain for us that we 
may not by a criminal abuse of grace ren- 
der ourselves the more guilty in the sight 
of God. 

RESOLUTIONS. 
TOURING the course of the day recall 



PRAYER. 





to mind the preceding reflections. 



Seventh Day. 69 



from time to time the invoca- 
tion : St. Joseph, confirmed in grace, pray 
for us. 

Listen to others with attention and re- 
spect, and, if there is error in their words, 
excuse their intention. 

Say frequently, " Thy will be done." 

Fast one day this week in honor of St. 
Joseph. 

Recite the Pater and Ave once, and St. 
Joseph, pray for us, three times. 




£ighth Pay. 



ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF UNION WITH JESUS 
CHRIST 



Sancte Joseph ineffabilibus 
benedictionibas dotate, ora 
pro nobis. 



St. Joseph, confirmed in grace^ 
pray for us. 



THIRST POINT: Union with Jesus 
A Christ is the most perfect expres- 
sion of faith, and at the same time is its 
characteristic principle. Spiritual life re- 
ceives its vitality from Jesus Christ, and is 
the more productive of virtue and abund- 
ant in good works according as the union 
of the soul with him becomes more inti- 
mate. " Without me you can do nothing," 
says our Saviour. Without the aid of 
grace man cannot entertain a good thought. 
St. Paul says : " And no man can say the 



Eighth Day. 



Lord Jesus but by the Holy Ghost." Our 
Lord makes use of a familiar and striking 
comparison in order to make this text 
more clear to us. Speaking to His apos- 
tles, He says : " I am the vine, you are 
the branches ; he that abideth in me and 
I in him, the same beareth much fruit ; for 
without me you can do nothing." Thus 
Jesus Christ continuously communicates 
His graces to us. A father of the Church, 
using another comparison, says that union 
with God is to the soul what air is to the 
lungs ; for as we could not live a natural 
life without those successive inhalations 
which at short intervals cause the beating 
of our hearts, neither can our souls live 
the life of grace unless they receive spiri- 
tual nourishment from Jesus Christ. Let 
us live so as to be able to say with St. 
Paul, " I live, now not I ; but Christ liveth 
in me." 

Second Point : All true Christians ex- 



7 2 



Eighth Day. 



perience the mysterious effects of the su- 
pernatural life, although they are not 
always perceptible to us. To experience 
these effects, it suffices that our souls be in 
a state of grace, and that we frequently 
invoke Jesus Christ, and offer our principal 
actions through Him to God the Father. 
The more frequently we think of Jesus 
Christ, the oftener we invoke Him ; the 
more we beg His grace, which inspires 
us to imitate His example and obey His 
precepts, the more shall the supernatural 
life be perfected in us. We should be most 
unhappy had we not these simple and easy 
means of advancing in virtue, acquiring 
merit, and increasing our reward. In our 
days all men aspire to freedom. The great- 
est liberty is that given us by Jesus Christ 
in uniting us with himself, and enabling us 
to live in a Christian manner; for this 
union frees us from the thraldom of the 
world, the flesh, and the devil. It gives 



Eighth Day. 



73 



us a mastery over our faults, our actions, 
and elevates us far above all that could 
debase or degrade our dignity as Chris- 
tians. 

Third Point: St. Joseph understood 
and practised this indispensable virtue of 
a Christian life. This union with God was 
not unknown to the just men of the old 
law. The principle and nourishment of 
their virtues were drawn from a belief in 
the merits of a Redeemer, and conse- 
quently from their union with Him. But 
this mysterious union has taken a won- 
drous development since the coming of the 
Redeemer, and the perfect fulfilment of 
the prophecies which previously gave His 
history to the just men who were not to 
see Him. St. Joseph, with the Blessed 
Virgin, was the first to contemplate the 
model of all justice. He saw and praised 
Him, adored Him as his God, and loved 
Him as his son. Are our lives in unison 



74 



Eighth Day. 



with that of Jesus Christ? Let us repeat 
these words, imposed on us as a dogma : 
Nothing without Jesus ; on the contrary, 
all things by Jesus, in Jesus, and with 
Jesus — per ipswn, cum ipso, in ipsum — by 
Him as mediator of grace ; with Him, our 
model and our strength; in Him, the sole 
object of the complacency of the Fa- 
ther. 



OLY St. Joseph, I dare not repeat 



■ the words of the apostle, " I live, 
now not I ; but Christ liveth in me." Those 
words, which are the device of holy souls 
that love and practice union with Jesus 
Christ, I find impressed on your heart, and, 
perhaps, gathered from your lips. But, 
alas ! I feel that I yet live in myself, in my 
own thoughts, in my predominant faults, 
:n the love of riches, and in the suscep- 
tibilities of my nature. Help me, power- 



PRAYER. 




Eighth Day. 



75 



ful saint, to live for Jesus, with Jesus, in 
Him, and by Him. 

RESOLUTIONS. 

r\URING the course of the day recall 
to mind the preceding reflections. 

Repeat from time to time the invoca- 
tion : St. Joseph, enriched with graces, 
pray for us. 

Let your thoughts, words, and actions 
be in union with Jesus. 

Conform your will to the will of God. 

Rise promptly in the morning at a given 
hour. 

Recite a Pater and Ave once, and St. 
^Joseph, pray for us, three times. 




TTlNTH pAY. 

ST. JOSEPH, FIRST CONFESSOR OF THE 
NEW LAW. 

Sancte Joseph, leg is novce con- | St. Joseph, first confessor of 
fessor firime, or a pro nobis, j the new law, pray for zts. 

THIRST POINT: The title given to St. 

Joseph at the beginning of this medi- 
tation might cause confusion -in the minds 
of the faithful, unless fully explained. The 
holy Church gives him this title, and 
honors him in her public office as first 
among her confessors. We say that he 
was the first confessor of the new law, be- 
cause he was the first just man who di^d 
under the empire and sweet influence of 
the law of love. In styling a great num- 
ber of saints confessors, the Church does 
not mean to signify that they were priests 

7 6 



Ninth Day. 



77 



and exercised the ministry of confessor, 
but it has adopted this manner of expres- 
, sion in the same sense that we would say 
to contess the faith, to confess the Gospel, 
or, more simply still, to confess Jesus 
Christ. Consequently, the word confessor 
should be well understood and sufficiently 
explained in the following point. 

SECOND POINT : To confess Jesus Christ 
is to acknowledge and' prove that we are 
His disciples ; to believe all the truths 
taught us by the Church in the name of 
Jesus Christ ; and to practise His law as 
His ministers make it known to us. The 
resistance of the spirit against faith, and 
the flesh against the world and morality, 
exacts from the faithful a kind of martyr- 
dom, and our confession derives its value 
from their interior violence and exterior 
combats. To confess Jesus Christ in a 
manner worthy the title of saint and con- 
fessor, is to believe the truths taught by 



Ninth Day. 



the Church with a more lively and ardent 
faith than do the generality of the faith- 
ful ; but especially to live according to the 
teaching of the Gospel with a devotion and 
perfection bordering on heroism. The holy 
confessor does not bind' himself to follow 
the rigorous precepts of the Gospel, but he 
attaches himself to the observance of the 
counsels, and follows as closely as possible 
the divine Model, thus becoming in his 
turn an example to others. St. Joseph, then, 
confessed Jesus Christ in the manner indi- 
cated in this point of our meditation. He 
was the first after the Blessed Virgin to 
Lmitate Jesus Christ in a perfection until 
then unknown. He listened to Jesus 
Christ, and implicitly believed the truths 
received from the lips of eternal truth. 
He not only followed the rigorous precepts 
of the Gospel, but he moreover practised 
everything inculcated by the counsels, thus 
arriving at the heroic martyrdom of natu- 



Ninth Day, 



79 



ral inclinations, and meriting the name of 
confessor. What simplicity yet incom- 
prehensibility in the concise words made 
' use of in the Gospel : He was a just man ! 

Third Point: It remains now for us to 
examine and see if we confess Jesus Christ, 
His spirit, and His Gospel. We can enter 
heaven without being canonized saints and 
confessors, or without forcing on ourselves 
the fulfilment of the evangelical counsels ; 
but it is not possible for us to attain 
eternal bliss if we do not, in some degree, 
imitate the saints and advance in the path 
of perfection. Not to advance is to recede. 
By a non-correspondence with the grace of 
God, we expose ourselves to lose our souls. 
St. Paul, addressing the faithful, says: " If 
you live according to the flesh, you shall 
die ; but if by the spirit you mortify the 
deeds of the flesh, you shall live." Do our 
lives correspond with our profession of 
confessors of Christ and of His Church? 



So 



Ninth Day. 



Let us seriously examine our hearts, and 
correct in them what we may find opposed 
to the virtues of a true Christian. Let us 
thank God for having sustained us in the 
good we have accomplished, and humble 
ourselves for the non-conformity of our 
words and actions with our profession. 
May the words of our Saviour be applied 
to us: "Whosoever, therefore, shall confess 
me before men, I will also confess him 
before my Father, who is in heaven." 

That is to say, I will, on judgment day, 
recognize before my Father, as my disciple, 
him who during life will have recognized 
me as his Master. 



D:\IIRABLE Saint! we have not up 



- • to this confessed Jesus Christ in 
spirit and in truth. Help us to correct 
all-in our conduct, everything that is con- 
tradictory to our faith. Obtain for us the 



PRAYER 




Ninth Day, 



Si 



cubage and strength necessary to fulfil 
our obligations as Christians and followers 
of Christ crucified. Grant that we receive 
all as coming from God, centre our hopes 
in Him, and be faithful to His grace 

RESOLUTIONS. 
TTAURING the course of the day recall 
^ to your mind the preceding re- 
flections. 

Repeat from time to time : St. Joseph, 
first confessor of the new law, pray for us. 

Do not question others through curi- 
osity. 

Let all your projects be subordinate to 
the will of God, and in all your undertak- 
ings depend on Him. 

During meals attend to the wants of 
those at table with you. 

Recite the Pater and Ave once, and St. 
Joseph, pray for us, three times. 



Jenth Pay. 
ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF HOPE. 



Sancte Joseph, legis nova con- 
fessor prime, ora pro nobis. 



St. Joseph, first confessor of 
the neiu law, pray for us. 



THIRST POINT: Christian hope is a 
A virtue which has for its first object 
future and eternal life — that is to say, the 
possession, knowledge, and love of God 
during all eternity — and for its second ob- 
ject the graces necessary as a means of 
attaining to this supreme end. Hence it 
leads us to believe that our past sins have 
been forgiven, and that God will raise us 
up and have pity on us if we should have 
the misfortune again to fall into them, 
though at the same time making us enter- 
tain the sentiment that God in His mercy 
will give us grace to guard against new 
falls. Moreover, it hopes and incessantly 



82 



Tenth Day, 83 




prays for the signal favor of final perseve- 
rance. How sweet are these thoughts, 
and how consoling this obligation of confi- 
dence in the beneficence of our Heavenly 
Father towards His children! Christianity 
alone makes hope a virtue, for it alone 
teaches us the opposite excesses of defi- 
ance and presumption. The unfortunate 
traitor Judas sinned against the virtue of 
hope by defiance and despair. To guard 
against presumption, we must rely on God 
alone, and distrust ourselves. Presumption 
caused St. Peter to deny his divine Mas- 
ter. Let us be penetrated with these 
thoughts, and dwell on them, and beg of 
God the virtue of hope through the inter- 
cession of St. Joseph, who practised it in 
its perfection. 

Second Point. — The virtue of hope 
corresponds in a marvellous manner to the 
title of confessor, which, with the Church, 
we gave to St. Joseph in yesterday's 



84 



Tenth Day, 



meditation. To all bearing this title the 
Church applies this device of Christian 
hope. Happy is he who has not placed 
his hopes in the things of earth ; and, in- 
deed, this is one of the most precise les- 
sons given us by Jesus Christ, and one 
that makes the difference between the old 
and the new law. The expectation of the 
Jews looked forward to transitory joys and 
terrestrial recompenses. Jesus Christ en- 
tirely effaced from His law this hope allow- 
able to the just men of old. The mutable 
happiness of earth must be subservient to 
hope ; and the true Christian will place no 
value on the joys of this life, since his 
proposed goal is eternal joy with God. 
The former teachings of « Jesus Christ in 
the Beatitudes are the points of introduc- 
tion to His doctrine. All the confessors 
of the new law must have understood the 
lessons and examples of Jesus Christ from 
this point of view, and St. Joseph was the 



Tenth Day. 



85 



first to receive and follow them. May the 
sentiments relative to Christian hope in 
this meditation affect our lives and actions, 
and tend to enkindle in our hearts the 
same degree of this virtue to which St. 
Joseph attained ! 

Third Point. — No earthly joys nor 
human consolations mingled in the hope 
of St. Joseph. His future life on earth 
and in heaven was blended in the one 
same hope and love. Let us not view the 
condition in which Providence placed him 
as a preventive against the reverses of 
fortune. It was not to aid his great soul 
in the practice of humility that Joseph was 
poor and lived in poverty ; but it was to 
teach us how our choice should be di- 
rected. Had he been rich, he would 
have sacrificed all and despised the world- 
ly advantages of a brilliant future, in order 
to become more closely attached to the 
hopes of eternal life, to follow the example 



S6 



Tenth Lay. 



of our divine Master, and have impressed 
more deeply on his mind and heart the 
desire of eternal life. Or if, in obedience 
to the will of God, he had been obliged to 
live in prosperity, his whole life would 
have been characterized by voluntary self- 
denials, renunciation, and sacrifice. This 
is a salutary lesson, from which we must 
derive profit. We are not obliged to fore- 
go all pleasures and joys; but we should 
not allow our hearts to become attached 
to them, so that in the enjoyment of 
them Ave forget the desire of heaven. 
The more we seek for terrestrial happiness, 
the less we think of heaven ; and the prac- 
tise of hope, as taught in the first part of 
this meditation, would become impossible. 
Sarsiim corda — "Lift up our hearts." 



PRAYER. 

OLY St. Joseph! thy name is linked 
with hope. Obtain for me this gift, 



Tenth Bay 



S7 



and let my soul be impressed with its 
sweet and amiable obligation of hoping all 
tilings from God. Grant that I may never 
more place confidence in human support, 



Let the thought of the judgments of God 
only awaken a new cause for love. Teach 
me to live as a Christian, and to become 
worthy of the hope which your soul so 
fully appreciated. May I confide in God 
as the author of my salvation, hoping all 
things from His mercy, desiring to possess. 
Him, the source of true joy, despising all 
earthly goods, guarding against them by 
continual sacrifice, and preparing my soul 
for the delights of heaven. Amen. 



URING the course of the day recall 



to mind the preceding reflections. 
Repeat from time to time the invoca- 



nor my happiness in perishable goods. 



RESOLUTIONS 




83 



Tenth Day % 



tion : St. Joseph, first confessor of the 
new law, pray for us. 

Address your inferiors attentively and 
politely. 

Are not certain affections of our hearts 
too ardent and ill regulated ? 

Observe mortification of the eyes. 

Recite the Pater and Ave once, and St. 
Joseph, pray for us, three times. 




rH J)a 



SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF PATIENCE AND 
MORTIFICATION. 



Sancte jfose/h, Christi patientis 
imitator prime^ ora pro nobis. 



St. Joseph^ first imitator of the 
sufferings of Christ. 



THIRST POINT: The whole life of 
A Jesus Christ was a cross and a mar- 
tyrdom, says the author of the " Imitation 
of Christ."' We may say that the life of a 
Christian must be the same. This conclu- 
sion is drawn from the Gospel. It re- 
sumes the teaching of the apostles, and 
proves that suffering is the chief character- 
istic in the lives of the saints. On this 
principle, and following these models, we 
must reflect on the necessity of sufferings. 

Coming from God, we must make them 
8 9 



9 o 



Eleventh Day. 



meritorious by a voluntary acceptation 
and loving offering, and sometimes even 
impose them on ourselves by generous 
acts of mortification and sacrifice. We 
have learned that the Christian must be a 
confessor by confessing Jesus Christ and 
Him crucified. These acts of mortifica- 
tion, directly opposed to nature, and pain- 
fid to it, bear testimony of our love for 
Jesus. Thus the name of Christian may 
be regarded as synonymous wkh that of 
martyr. This is a severe but important 
lesson, one which, if understood and prac- 
tised, would be an abridgment of all 
others, and which we seek, in the resolu- 
tions taken each day of this month, to im- 
plant in our souls, and to inculcate to 
others. St. Joseph is our model in this, 
inasmuch as we can apply to him in a true 
sense the beautiful and noble appellation 
of martvr. 

Second Point: St. Joseph suffered in 



Eleventh Day. 



his senses, his mind, and his soul. First 
in his senses. He was a poor workman, 
and this occupation must have been pain- 
ful to him, since he could number kings 
and chiefs of nations among his ancestors. 
The journey to Bethlehem, and the flight 
and sojourn in Egypt, were the cause of 
inexpressible suffering to him. Second, in 
his mind he endured painful apprehensions 
and motives of fear, less for himself than 
on account* of those two precious beings 
who were placed in his charge, and whom 
he had to support and protect. Without 
imagining unknown perils, he knew enough 
of the Incarnation and Redemption to be 
convinced that the Saviour of the world 
would pay a great price for our ransom. His 
soul, as well as that of Mary, was pierced 
by the words of Simeon, and reflection 
often brought to his mind the mysteries 
in which he was an intimate participator. 
Thirdly, in his soul. There was no mar- 



9 2 



Eleventh Day. 



tyrdom more painful than the sufferings 
to which Almighty God was pleased to 
subject St. Joseph during the first periods 
of the Incarnation. God concealed the 
mystery from him, and made him witness 
of the condition of the Holy Virgin, his 
chaste spouse — a condition which seemed 
to accuse her of infidelity towards him 
and towards God. Mary, our holy and 
sweet Mother; Mary, the Virgin Immacu- 
late, must herself have suffered in the 
mental anguish of St. Joseph. Their 
reciprocal anxiety must have increased in 
one the suffering of the other. Add to 
this suffering that which was caused by 
the three days' loss of Jesus, and again the 
repulses met at Bethlehem, probably in 
Egypt, and at Nazareth. Moreover, in 
this detail of the sufferings of St. Joseph, 
we have mentioned only those com- 
ing directly from the hands of Provi- 
dence ; other voluntary sacrifices and self- 



Eleventh Day 



93 



imposed mortifications are the secrets of 
heaven. 

Third Point : We have explained the 
doctrine of self-denial, and given a great 
and touching example. Let us now com- 
pare our own conduct with this lesson and 
model. How far advanced are we in 
Christian mortification ? Do we under- 
stand and practise its maxims, and do we 
comprehend its importance, its advantages, 
and its indispensable necessity, whether 
for the expiation of our sins, to prevent 
new relapses, or to advance in virtue — each 
act of which is naturally an effort or sacri- 
fice — or to detach us from earth, and make 
the hope of heaven dearer and more pre- 
cious to us — whether, in fine, to resemble 
Jesus Christ, who suffered so much for us, 
and thereby give Him the strongest proof 
of our tender affection ? The thought of 
testifying our love for God, and manifest- 
ing our gratitude for His benefits to us, 



94 



Eleventh Day. 



and our happiness in being allowed to en- 
dure pains and sacrifices for Him in com- 
memoration of the sufferings, sacrifices, 
and affronts which he endured for us, 
should incessantly incite and animate us 
to bear patiently all the sufferings, pains, 
and sacrifices in life. But, alas ! our most 
essential duties seem insupportable, for 
the manner in which we fulfil them indi- 
cates the repugnance we have for them. 
Let us be humbled at our weakness, and 
pray for more generosity. 



LORIOUS St. Joseph, thou wert a 



^ martyr in imitation of the Blessed 
Virgin, thy Spouse, and the Queen of 
martyrs. Thou, through prophetic revela- 
tion, hast been on Calvary, and endured 
the lingering death of compassion, which 
in the Virgin Mother surpassed all the tor- 
ments of martyrs. Mayest thou be blessed, 



PRAYER. 




j 



Eleventh Day. 



95 



our protector and father ; for it was for 
us thou didst suffer! But thy soul, sus- 
tained by grace under the weight of its 
trials, wast prepared by sufferings and 
voluntary sacrifices. Pray that I may be 
animated by thy example. 

RESOLUTIONS. 

TOURING the course of the clay recall 
to mind the preceding reflections : 

Repeat from time to time the invoca- 
tion . St. Joseph, first imitator of the suf- 
ferings of Jesus Christ, pray for us. 

Make choice of some sacrifices after the 
spirit of St. Joseph. 

Recite the Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray tor us, three 
times. 



• Jwelfth Pay. 

ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF THE LOVE OF GOD 
AND OF SUFFERINGS. 

Saticte Joseph, in char Hate ar I St. Joseph, ardent lover of 
dentissijue^ or a pro nobis. God, pray for us. 

THIRST POINT: After the meditation 
made yesterday on the sufferings of 
St. Joseph, we must not imagine that our 
venerated and glorious protector had severe 
points of character, caused by sorrow and 
contracted by affliction. Calmness and 
mildness marked his whole demeanor, par- 
ticularly his angelical countenance, and 
nevertheless he at all times suffered in- 
tensely. The mystery of this mildness, 
peace, and even joy, amidst sufferings, is 
explained by the influence of the love of 
God on the endurance of suffering and 

crosses, and the reciprocal influence of the 
9 6 



Twelfth Day. 



97 



love of sufferings and crosses on the de- 
velopment in us of the love of God. The 
love of God ! These few words explain 
better than all others the great doctrine of 
the necessity of mortification and suffer- 
ings. Let us examine the subject of yes- 
terday's meditation still more closely, and, 
placing ourselves at the foot of the cross, 
beg of St. Joseph that its sweet and pre- 
cious influence may excite us to the love 
of suffering in union with Jesus. 

Second Point : When we truly love 
God, we feel ourselves drawn to the prac- 
tice of mortification and to the love of suf- 
ferings: ist. Because he counsels and com- 
mands them. He makes use of an express 
command, in which he places every one 
under the necessity of making sacrifices. 
" If any man will come after me, let him 
deny himself, take up his cross, and daily 
follow me." This is not simply an invita- 
tion, but a command, and one that is not 



9S Twelfth Day 



addressed to a class of persons, but to all 
who desire to be Christians. We find in 
the Gospel several other maxims formal as 
this one, and numerous others which may 
be regarded as counsels ; but counsels are 
sufficient for those who love. When love 
is sincere, it is easy to comply with the 
will of the beloved. 2d. God was the first 
to endure sufferings for love of us. We 
have already alluded to this motive, and 
would not again refer to it were it not so 
easy to repeat to ourselves, " Jesus Christ 
has loved me and delivered Himself to 
death for me." What a happiness for me 
to suffer for Him, like Simon the Cy- 
renean, who assisted Him in carrying His 
cross, and accompanied Him on His way to 
Calvary ! 3d. God w^ould not have ad- 
vised nor commanded sufferings, nor would 
He have given us an example of love of 
sufferings, were they not to be in turn 
strongest and truest proofs of our love 



Twelfth Day. 



99 



towards Him. God is spiritual. The most 
touching expression that can be used to 
testify our sentiments towards Him may 
be but formulas uttered by the lips without 
moving our hearts ; but sufferings endured 
for God, and sacrifices and crosses offered 
to Him, manifest more strikingly than 
words could that we love Him purely for 
Himself. This is proof of our love, the 
one, too, which God desires, as it is given 
by the heart, whose most sensitive and 
delicate fibres, often bleeding and torn in 
nature's conflict, are looked upon with in- 
finite appreciation by our divine Jesus, who 
will Himself in heaven become our only 
love and consolation. 

Third Point : The love of crosses and 
sufferings dilates our hearts, and rapidly 
increases the love of God in them. Those 
who fear crosses naturally shrink from the 
exercise of the works of mercy, from the 
frequent reception of the sacrament of 



100 



Twelfth Day. 



penance, and the correction of their faults ; 
whereas, love of sufferings removes all ob- 
stacles which retard, embarrass, and finally 
force us to desist entirely from the love 
of God. When the possession of earthly 
joys and benefits satisfies our hearts, we 
forget heaven ; but when oppressed with 
sorrow and affliction, we instinctively draw 
nearer to God, and have recourse to prayer. 
When all around becomes dark, and, by 
providential concurrent circumstances or 
the heroism of our own will, we suffer in 
abandonment, then God becomes our re- 
source, our support, and our hope ; and 
the invocation, " Incline unto my aid, O 
God ! O Lord ! make haste to help me !" 
comes from the depths of our hearts. God 
manifests his love in a most tender and 
paternal manner towards those who gen- 
erously suffer for him. This mercy of God 
removes the bitterness of sufferings with- 
out destroying it. The sting is felt, but 



Twelfth Day. 



101 



the balm of divine consolation is imme- 
diately poured over to heal the wound. 
Thus suffering produces love, and love 
produces suffering in all souls, as well as 
in the soul ot St. Joseph, whose heart 
was ever animated with divine love. Let 
us believe this doctrine and imitate this 
model. 



OLY St. Joseph, by our love for 



^- thee, and admiration of thy spirit 
of the cross, we beg of thee to obtain 
that our sentiments may become like unto 
thine. Thou couldst exclaim with the 
Prophet, u Par at tun cor meum, Deus, para- 
turn cor meum " — " My heart is ready, O 
Lord ! my heart is ready." Then shall 
my soul be prepared for the loving de- 
signs of Providence, who realizes spiritual 
progress only by sacrifices and denials. 



PRAYER. 




102 



Twelfth Day. 



RESOLUTIONS. 

TOURING the course of the day recall 
to mind the preceding reflections. 

Repeat from time to time: St. Joseph, 
ardent lover of God, pray for us. 

Let your mind and heart be impressed 
with the truths mentioned in the two pre- 
ceding meditations. 

Desire a more ardent love of God and 
of the cross. 

Receive willingly and endure patiently 
all afflictions which God may send us. 

Recite the Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray for us, three 
times. 




Thirteenth Pay. 
ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF ARDENT CHARITY. 

Sancte Joseph, in charitate ar- \ St. Joseph, model of ardent 
dentissi?ne, ora pro nobis. I charity, pray for us. 

/"^HARITY is the most excellent and 
eminent of all virtues, including all 
the others, and giving them their true 
value and perfection. It is the noblest 
exercise of our faculties. Its influence 
produces the principal and essential differ- 
ence between Christian virtue and human 
morality. Its practice is on earth, but its 
perfection only in heaven. 

First Point: To love God seems sim- 
ple and agreeable to the reasoning mind. 
God manifests himself in the beauty, gran- 
deur, and sublimity of his wondrous works. 

Nevertheless, it is a remarkable fact that 
X03 



104 



Uiirteenth Day. 



without the pale of the true religion, 
though we hear the word of God discussed 
in beautiful and appropriate terms, Ave sel- 
dom or never see manifest proofs of love 
towards Him. Natural strength and vir- 
tue are too weak to produce that act of 
supreme love which makes us prefer God 
above all things, and retain a deep and 
durable impression of love for Kim ; still 
it is not only possible, but easy, for a Chris- 
tian to love God. Besides the eternal 
works of God, which always inspire one 
with an idea of His infinite perfections, a 
Christian has the revelations of faith 
opening to his view a new field vaster, a 
thousand times richer and more varied, 
whence shine forth the grandeur, beauty, 
and, above all, the goodness of God. Reve- 
lation is truly a field of mysteries, where 
all is splendor and beauty, greatness and 
sublimity ; but let us repeat, more mani- 
fest than aught else, goodness and love. 



Ihirteenth Day, 



Moreover, as it is only by grace that the 
Christian is enabled to love God with his 
whole heart and soul, mind and strength — 
in a word, as God deserves to be loved — 
so those who do not correspond to this 
grace do not love God as he should be 
loved. 

Second Point : St. Joseph loved God 
with an ardent love. He was just ; and 
perfect love of God and justice are insepar- 
able. As he was eminently just, he loved 
the source of all justice in an eminent 
degree. Contemplating in their true light 
the grandeur and extent of the mysteries 
of Christianity, which are the sublimest 
testimony of the incomprehensible works 
of God and of his infinite bounty, he was 
attached to them by the closest and most v 
tender ties. These sentiments were ele- 
vated and consecrated by an abundance of 
celestial favors and graces, greater than 
which were given to none but the *Blcssed 



io6 Thirteenth Day, 



Virgin Mary. How sweet to contemplate 
St. Joseph, not before the tabernacle where 
dwells the God of love, not at the foot of 
the cross whereon that God died for us, 
but carrying in his arms, and near his 
heart, the God Incarnate, the Infant God 
of love, w T ho deigned and wished to be 
called the Son of Joseph. We are allowed 
to become participators in this happiness 
of our glorious saint by loving God with 
our whole souls. 

Third Point : Do we love God ? Being 
Christians, we can and must love Him, 
and manifest our love by acts of love ; 
saying our morning and evening prayers 
devoutly ; loving Him above all things — 
that is to say, more than all the goods of 
the world, the interests of fortune, and 
more than anything created. We should 
love God with our whole hearts, not divid- 
ing our affections between the Creator and 
the creature, but loving all things in God 



Thirteenth Day. 107 



and for Him, since our Lord Himself tells us 
we cannot serve two masters. We should 
love God with all our strength, not sparing 
ourselves in anything when the accomplish- 
ment of the will of God is concerned. We | 
should love Him as the saints loved Him, 
as St. Joseph loved Him, and as did a holy 
priest, the Cure of Ars, who, with sweet 
simplicity, said, " God created little birds 
to sing, and they sing ; God created man to 
love Him, and he does not love Him.'* 

PRAYER. 

T T OLY St. Joseph ! my prayer to-day 
A will be an act of love, which I will 
beg thee to present to God. I desire to 
love God, His holiness and infinite power. 
I desire to love the Sovereign Bounty, Him 
who is love, and who loves me with an 
ineffable love. In Him I will place my 
consolation and my strength here on earth, 
and my hope of supreme" bliss in heaven. 




ioS 



Thirteenth Day. 



RESOLUTIONS. 
TOURING the course of the day recall, 
to mind the preceding reflections : 
Repeat from time to time the invoca- 
tion : St. Joseph, ardent lover of God, pray 
for us. 

Be diligent in the fulfilment of duty. 

Sacrifice all affection for vain and trifling 
objects, and generously attach your hearts 
to the eternal welfare of your souls. 

Do not listen to frivolous or uncharitable 
conversations. 

Recite the Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray for us, three 
times. 




Fourteenth J)ay. 
ST. JOSEPH, HEAD OF THE HOLY FAMILY. 

Sancte Joseph, caput tiobilissi- Saint Joseph, head of the 
maz et sanctissimce familice, holiest and noblest of fami- 
ora pro nobis. lies, pray for us. 

T N our days, revolutions are everywhere 

rife. The spirit of revolt could not 

originate in society. It must be produced 

to a certain degree by the habits formed in 

family relations. In the family of Jesus,,, 

Mary, and Joseph we see order, peace,. 

and calm serenity ruling all things. There 

neither talent nor merit claims the right of 

command ; on the contrary, the greatest 

in merit and dignity obeys the least, and 

the will of God is the law of their lives. 

Let us examine each member of the Holy 

Family, and learn our duty from them, 
109 



no 



Fourteenth Day. 



First Point: The Father. He is the 
representative of God, the head and di- 
rector of the household ; but St. Joseph in 
this capacity exercises his authority with 
all simplicity, humility, and sweetness. 
He is continually brought before God by 
the weight of the double responsibility 
towards the Mother and the Child. Joseph 
was obedient to God in all things. He is 
the model after which fathers should 
govern. St. Paul warns them to avoid 
provoking impatience, anger, or hatred by 
rough, harsh, irritable commands, or by 
the severity of their punishments, which 
are allowable only to repress disobedience 
or natural tendency to evil. Were the 
hearts of all fathers animated with the 
love of Jesus and of Mary, as was the 
heart of St. Joseph, their actions governed 
by the same principles, and their affections 
nourished by the same thoughts, their 
lives would close with the same desires. 



Fourleefith Day. 



in 



Second Point: The Mother. All that 
Mary saw and heard was treasured in her 
heart, so that she might impart it to others. 
She allowed herself to be governed by St. 
Joseph without remark or resistance, well 
knowing the motives by which he was in- 
spired. Whenever she interposed her 
authority, it was done by way of supplica- 
tion, as at Cana, or by a tender maternal 
reproach, as in the temple. Silence, re- 
serve, tears, and prayers should be the 
habitual resource of Christian mothers. A 
mother's sphere becomes extended when a 
father fails in his duty, compromises his 
authority, and even provokes resistance by 
his disorderly conduct. But we prefer to 
'imagine ourselves in the heart of a Chris- 
tian family, where the parents are all that 
God wishes them to be. A Catholic mother 
should imitate the Blessed Virgin in her 
prudence, reserve, and submission to the 
will of her husband ; and the care of her 



112 



Fourteenth Day, 



children should be her chief duty. Though 
she exercises less authority over them than 
the father does, her influence is much 
greater than his. Oh! did mothers know 
the power of tears o'er the hearts of their 
children, and the efficacy of prayers in 
their behalf with the heart of Jesus, their 
lives would be offered a continual sacrifice 
for the salvation of those entrusted to their 
care. 

Third Point: The Child. Children 
should obey their parents. The only his- 
tory of the childhood of Jesus given in the 
Gospel is, Et erai subditus illiis — "And 
He was subject to them."' It adds, it is 
true, that He grew in grace before God and 
man ; but this was a consequence of His 
submission and obedience. The virtue of 
obedience comprises all the others. Chil- 
dren that are submissive and obedient to 
God and their parents will also increase in 
virtue, grace, and merit before God and 



Fourteenth Day. 



man. Once only did our Lord seem to 
resist, or at least offer an excuse to His 
„ parents ; when they complained of His 
hating fled from them for three days, He 
said, " How is it that you sought me ? Did 
you not know that I must be about my 
Father's business ? " There is but one 
circumstance wherein a child is authorized 
to act contrary to the wishes of his parents 
— that is when the glory of God and the 
salvation of his soul is concerned. He 
should then say, as did Jesus, Do you not 
know that the interests of God, our Father 
in heaven, must first be considered, and 
that obedience to parents should be sub- 
ordinate to the will of God ? 

PRAYER. 

REAT Saint, not to thee alone do I 
this day address my prayer. I de- 
sire to invoke the whole family, of which 
you are the father. Holy and amiable 



ii4 



Fourteenth Day. 



family of Nazareth, Jesus, Mary, and Jo- 
seph, protect Christian families, particu- 
larly mine. Let humility, meekness, obedi- 
ence, and all virtues dwell in it. May the 
members composing it be united in thee, 
that death may not separate them. May 
those bearing the cherished names of father, 
mother, brother, sister, or friend meet in 
heaven. Amen. 

RESOLUTIONS. 

T~~\URING the course of the day recall 
to your mind the preceding reflec- 
tions. 

Seek to learn from others, rather than to 
teach. 

Be obedient to parents and superiors. 

Mortify the sense of hearing. 

Recite the Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray for us, three 
times. 



Fifteenth Pay. 



SAINT JOSEPH, MODEL OF THE HIDDEN 
LIFE. 



Sancte Joseph, caput nobilissi- I St. Joseph, head of the noblest 
mce et sanctissimce familice, and holiest of families, pray 



HE hidden life is fast becoming un- 



known, and every day we see less of 
it. Would that devotion to St. Joseph 
might bring persons to the practice of this 
life ! The first cause detrimental to a 
hidden life is the aversion entertained by 
children for the occupation of parents, and 
the desire to withdraw themselves from 
their parental protection. 

First Point: Let us contemplate the 
Holy Family of Nazareth ; behold Jesus 
choosing His father's trade! He was an 



ora i>ro nobis. 



for us. 




n6 



Fifteenth Day. 



artisan and the son of an artisan. See St. 
Joseph, foster-father of the Infant God, 
become His instructor and His master; 
bringing Him up to labor, teaching Him 
His trade; and Jesus the while appearing 
to learn, as a testimony of affection and 
gratitude towards St. Joseph, rendering 
him and the Blessed Virgin all the assist- 
ance that a good son would give his 
parents. What a touching picture ! Let 
us try to reproduce it in every family 
fireside, by advising children ta consult 
God in prayer on the choice of a profes- 
sion and state of life, and inculcating to 
them that wa^es may be used to advan- 
tacre in every condition of life. Have those 
over whom you exercise influence culti- 
vate habits of industry, and, if possible, 
have the daughter to pursue her occupa- 
tions under the vigilance of her mother, 
the son to aid his father, and all to dwell 
together, rendering mutual services, which. 



Fifteenth Bay, 



117 



should be the honor and joy of a Christian 
family. 

SECOND POINT: Family life is strength- 
ened by a holy observance of the Sunday ; 
that is to say, by refraining from servile 
works, assisting at Mass in the parish 
church, and seeking such amusements and 
relaxations as tend to unite the family 
circle. Let us contemplate the Holy 
Family at Nazareth, and draw from its 
example the confirmation of our opinion. 
In that admirable family no other absence 
is sought but that commanded by the law. 
Notice the sorrow and regret evinced by 
Mary and Joseph at Jerusalem for having 
lost the Child Jesus, though they could not 
have reproached themselves with negli- 
gence. See them together in the temple, 
at public prayer, at work, and at relaxa- 
tions from duty. There was never a 
second occasion for the Blessed Virgin 
to search for her divine Son, whom she 



nS 



Fifteenth Day, 



once supposed to be taken from her tender 
care. Christian parents and children, keep 
holy the Sabbath day! It is, by excel- 
lence, the day of the Lord ; but it is also 
the day of rest for families. Remain in 
your own parish, let your recreations be 
holy, and taken as much as possible in 
common, O Christian parents ! have 
you not often cause to search, weeping 
and sorrowful, for your children ? The 
Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph had 
no cause for anxiety concerning the soul 
of Jesus; but you, alas! on those festival 
days and evenings, when your children 
spend hours from home, have cause for 
anxious search in fear; for it is not the 
mortal life that is in danger, but the im- 
mortal souls of your precious charges. 

Third Point : Family ties are streng- 
thened and affection nourished by the 
mutual interchange of thought, duties of 
respect towards the head of a family, in- 



Fifteenth Day. 



119 



structions given to children, and the thou- 
9 sand other acts tending to attract the 
heart. Picture to yourselves the interior 
of the Holy Family at Nazareth ! See 
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph at their meals, at 
work, and in conversation. What heavenly 
peace and consummate happiness, by the 
presence and union of the father, the 
mother, and the Child ! Ah ! could all 
families spend more time at the domestic 
fireside, and find there the rest and plea- 
sure sought for elsewhere, how much hap- 
piness would be obtained for the thousand 
desolate homes whose members, carried 
away by love of dissipation and forbidden 
pleasures, bring sorrow and misery to their 
families ! 

PRAYER. 

T T OLY St. Joseph ! make us enter in 
A A spirit into the house of Nazareth, 
honored by so many mysteries, but especi- 



120 



Fifteenth Day. 



ally by the hidden life you led there for 
many years with Jesus and Mary. Obtain 
for us from the hearts of Jesus and Mary 
an esteem for a hidden life, and the desire 
cf practising it after their example, with 
the interior virtues necessary for so holy an 
enterprise. 

RESOLUTIONS. 

T)REPARE to receive Holy Communion 
on the feast of St. Joseph. 

Conform your will to the will of others. 

Sacrifice personal tastes to the pleasure 
of others. 

Seek the good of others at the cost of 
your own inclinations. 

Recite the Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray for us, three 
times. 




^Sixteenth Pay. 
ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF JUSTICE. 

Sancte Joseph^ fabrorum et I St. Josepli. model of artisans, 
operariorum exemplar, or a and ' workmen y pray for us. 
pro nobis. \ 

THIRST POINT: Jesus and Joseph 
were artisans. Divine Providence 
selected this condition of life for them, in 
order to honor and sanctify manual labor 
for them, which the nations of antiquity 
regarded as. mean and debasing. Jesus 
and Joseph are in this capacity presented 
as models to those who earn their bread in 
die sweat of their brow. Laborers and 
mechanics participate more fully in the 
blessings promised in the Gospel to the 
poor than do those in more elevated post 



122 



Sixteenth Day. 



tions, for they have less to fear from the 
curse that falls on the abuse of riches. 
True, their condition is in itself painful 
and unpleasant to nature, particularly at 
times when work fails or salaries decrease 
so as not to meet demands of maintenance ; 
yet in those trials they ought to be en- 
couraged and consoled by the example of 
these great models, Jesus and Joseph. 
Let them choose St. Joseph for their 
patron and protector. Jesus, our divine 
Saviour, gave up the employment of a me- 
chanic during the last three years of his 
life, in order to attend to his divine 
mission ; but St. Joseph continued his 
labors until his death, and he was known 
among his contemporaries as Joseph the 
carpenter. 

SECOND POINT: The duties of a laborer 
or mechanic are : order and regularity in 
his habits of life, strict honesty in his com- 
mercial relations, a detestation of the use 



Sixteenth Day. 



123 



cf false weights and measures, and of 
deception in any form. He was an honest 
and noble mechanic, or, in the widest 
acceptation of the expression, was just by 
excellence. Admire the sublime eleva- 
tion of soul manifested in this holy de- 
scendant of Juda's kings. When we see 
him labor with his hands for maintenance, 
we perceive the nobility of character, purity 
of conscience, and delicacy of sentiment 
exhibited in the self-sacrificing spirit of the 
spouse of the most pure Virgin. What 
admirable simplicity portrayed in his obedi- 
ence to the mandate of the sovereign and 
the laws of the country, even at the risk of 
excessive fatigue to the Blessed Virgin, 
who bore the Son of God in her most 
chaste womb ! 

Third Point: The secret of this en- 
nobling and sanctifying influence on the 
actions of St. Joseph, even in his obscure 
condition, is the purity of intention which 



124 



Sixteenth Day. 



directed his every work. It is well known 
that the virtues of the Blessed Virgin and 
of St. Joseph were not made less brilliant by 
the obscurity of their lives ; for in the sight 
of God, the Supreme and Eternal Truth, 
Mary and Joseph were higher than the 
greatest sovereigns. Self-love suffices to 
obscure the most meritorious and brightest 
act ; and though the hidden virtues are less 
liable to be wrought upon by the fatal 
illusions of self-love, still they are not 
entirely safe from its baneful influence, 
unless we keep constant watch over the 
movements of our hearts. We must strive 
to acquire the habit of virtue, so that the 
good may predominate in us. Our actions 
become the more meritorious, and the 
virtuous habits acquired are the more 
elevated, according as our intention is 
centred in God. Of all the supernatural 
motives, that ot charity is most capable 
of inciting our souls to good.* We should 



Sixteenth Day. 



offer to God every act, however insignifi- 
cant, and let love for him animate every 
thought, word, and action. The poor and 
Jowly can become great in merit and virtue, 
as did St. Joseph. They can imitate him 
as their model, and invoke him as their 
protector. 

PRAYER. 

T T OLY St. Joseph, be the protector 
■** ^ and model of all those who are 
obliged to labor for the support of their 
families. Teach them to fulfil their duties 
in a Christian manner; recall to their 
minds in what true greatness consists ; and 
obtain for them fidelity to your example. 
May they learn from you that the secret 
of true happiness, even here on earth, is 
moderation of desires, patience, resigna- 
tion, the hope of heaven, and the joy of 
loving and serving God. 



126 



Sixteenth Daw 



RESOLUTIONS. 

A VOID all conversations having a ten- 
^ dency to make you dissatisfied with 
your condition in life. 

Let the poor and lowly thank God for 
having called them to a state of poverty, 
and those favored with wealth and luxury 
beg of God to enable them to use these 
gifts for their eternal salvation. 

Do not seek for dainties to satisfy your 
palate. 

Recite the Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray for us, three 
times. 




Seventeenth J) ay. 

ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF CHARITY TOWARDS 
OUR NEIGHBOR. 

Sancte Joseph^ in char itate ar~ \ St. Joseph, model of charity 
dentissime, ora pro nobis % \ towards our neighbor, pray 
] for us. 

^^fR will now consider St. Joseph in his 
relations with his neighbor. As 
a carpenter, a voluntary exile, and a citi- 
zen of his native country, he proves to us, 
by his example, that of all the duties we 
owe to our neighbor, charity is the first. 

FIRST POINT: The law of charity binds 
us equally towards God and our neighbor. 
It might be deemed necessary to use a dif- 
ferent term by which to designate the 
supreme and absolute love we have for 

God in distinction from that we bear to- 
127 



123 



Seventeenth Day. 



wards our neighbor. But to separate the 
love of Gocl from the love of our neighbor 
would be to deny the nature of love, 
which engages the dearest and most in- 
tense affections of the heart, and which 
disposes us to forget and sacrifice ourselves 
for those we love. The second command- 
ment is like unto the first, says our Sa- 
viour, so much so that its origin and its end 
are the same, for it is the image, the will, 
the love of God ; in a word, it is God 
whom we love in our neighbor. We can- 
not separate the love of God and the love 
of our neighbor, for loving our neighbor in 
a Christian manner is loving God. " Thou 
shalt love the Lord thy God with thy 
whole heart, thy wdiole mind, thy whole 
strength, and thy neighbor as thyself." 
This precept is the expressed command of 
our Saviour, strictly recommended to us, 
and its fulfilment will be the badge by 
which the disciples of Jesus Christ will be 



Seventeenth Day, 



129 



known. The heart of St. Joseph was 
inspired with this tender and devoted love 
lor the whole human family. 

Second Point : We must practise cha- 
rity in our relations with our friends and 
enemies. It seems unnecessary for us to 
mention the duty of love for friends. Our 
Lord says, " If you love them that love 
you, what reward shall you have ? Do not 
even the publicans this ? " It is precisely 
that your friendship may not be similar to 
that of the pagans that your thoughts, 
affections, and hearts are referred to the 
example of St. Joseph. In his humble 
condition his friends were few. None are 
mentioned in the Gospel, unless it be that 
the title may be given to the shepherds 
and wise men who came to Bethlehem. 
Friendships which are produced by love of 
pleasure, sympathy of character, business 
relations, or natural affection, independent 
of a higher and holier aim, have not love 



130 



Seventeenth Day. 



of God for their motive. The Gospel, 
moreover, commands us not only to forgive 
our enemies, and pray for them, but also 
to love them. This precept is violated by 
a great number of Christians. We enter- 
tain and manifest cold reserve and resent- 
ment towards those who have offended or 
injured us ; yet each day we say, " Forgive 
us our trespasses as we forgive them that 
trespass against us." These words should 
be dwelt upon until we are well impressed 
with their import. 

Third Point : We owe the duty of 
charity towards all mankind. St. Joseph 
greeted his neighbor with a friendly smile, 
evoked by love ; and as no one was ex- 
cluded from the love of Jesus, neither did 
St. Joseph deny his love to any one. 
Wherever Providence placed him, all mani- 
fested indifference towards him on account 
of his poverty, but he in return regarded 
them with affection, and desired their sal- 



Seventeenth Day. 



vation. Let us strive to benefit some one 
each day of our lives, either by prayers or 
example, being particularly kind to those 
who offend us or manifest ingratitude to- 
wards us, and let us be convinced that 
Jesus Christ and His love are sufficient 
for us. 



LORIOUS St. Joseph, thy name is 



synonymous with sweetness and 
charity. Each word of the Gospel con- 
cerning thee seems to exhale the perfume 
of these amiable virtues. Pray for us that 
we may imitate thee in the avoidance of 
discontent, impatience, jealousy, hatred, 
bitterness, violence, and resentment, and 
obtain that our whole lives be animated 
by charity, that at death we may be re- 
ceived with mercy and love by the God of 
love. 



PRAYER. 




Seventeenth Day. 



RESOLUTIONS. 
TOURING the course of the day recall 
^-^^ to mind the preceding reflections. 

Repeat from time to time the invoca- 
tion : St. Joseph, meek and humble, pray 
for us. 

Rejoice in the good of others. Pardon 
all injuries. 

Recite the Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray for us, three 
times. 



pIGHTEENTH J) AY. 



ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF HUMILITY. 



Sancte Joseph, in humilitate St. Joseph, projotmdly humble, 
prof andissime, or a pro no- pray for us. 



IRST POINT: The principal virtue 



in our relations with our neighbor 
is humility. This virtue, so little known 
among the generality of worldlings, is of 
purely Christian origin. We will speak 
here of a few of its characteristic traits. 
Humility is the acquiescence of the mind 
and heart to the knowledge of our own mis- 
ery and nothingness. Whatever increases 
and strengthens this knowledge may serve 
in some measure to develop one or more 
of the qualities of humility. In the first 
place, frequent reflection on the infinite 
greatness of God contributes much to this 




*34 



Eighteenth Day. 



virtue, placing before our minds the con- 
trast which naturally arises from the 
thought of His infinite perfections and our 
own unworthiness. We are but creatures, 
holding all we have from God. " What 
have you that you have not received?" 
says St. Paul. This reflection serves to 
maintain in us sentiments of the most pro- 
found humility. We have, perhaps, offend- 
ed God grievously ; and in consequence of 
the inclination to evil which we find ii?. 
ourselves, in spite of all our resolutions, 
we still continue to fall into many faults. 
" The just man falls seven times/' says the 
wise man. We can of ourselves do no- 
thing towards our eternal salvation, not 
even form a good thought, without the aid 
of that all powerful Being who created us. 
God must aid and support us in the ac- 
complishment of all the good we do ; and 
yet how have we corresponded to this 
grace? Here are motives on which we can 



Eighteenth Day. 



and must rely, particularly on the last, in 
order to be convinced of our spiritual mis- 
, ery. However, to have humility, it is not 
sufficient to acquiesce with the mind alone 
to the knowledge just mentioned ; for that 
of the heart is also necessary, inasmuch as 
we must not revolt or complain, but sub- 
mit and be resigned, and even go so far 
as to desire to be perfectly well known 
and treated as we deserve. This is the 
sense conveyed in the expression of our 
Saviour, " Learn of me, for I am meek and 
humble of heart." This divine lesson, 
so difficult on account of the innate pride 
in us, we also receive, and should learn, 
from St. Joseph, who obtained it from the 
loving heart of Jesus, and we should earn- 
estly implore Him to impact tic secret of 
acquiring it to us. 

Second Point: We have said that 
after charity, humility, more than all the 
other virtues, enables us to regulate our 



136 



Eighteenth Day. 



conduct towards our neighbor. The words 
of our divine Saviour already quoted will 
make this more clearly understood : " Learn 
of me, for I am meek and humble of heart, 
and you will find rest for your souls." The 
word meek, used by Jesus before that of 
humble, and the words terminating the 
quotation, reveal to us, in all its beauty, 
the doctrine we are to explain. Meekness, 
that virtue which of itself affords inexpress^ 
ible delight, accompanied, as it is, by the 
promise of so great a reward, seems to be, 
by excellence, the virtue most needed for 
the gaining of our neighbor. Has not our 
Lord Himself said, " Blessed are the meek, 
for they shall possess the land ;" or, in 
other words, Blessed are the meek, for they 
shall possess the heart of man ? Meekness, 
says St. Francis de Sales, is the sister or 
flower of charity ; but, mark well, we can- 
not be meek or even good Christians un- 
less we are humble, and we will certainly 



Eighteenth Day. 



137 



be meek if we are humble of heart. Hu- 
mility, then, such as we have characterized 
in the first point, must necessarily be ac- 
companied by meekness. Have we under- 
stood it thus, and endeavored to make this 
our constant practice and the rule of our 
conduct towards our neighbor? Does our 
humility tend to bring him joy, calm, and 
peace ? Does it afford rest to our own 
souls ? 

Third Point: This examination of 
ourselves is painful, because humiliating; 
and perhaps we are not yet sufficiently 
humble to undergo it as we should. Let 
us rest our minds and hearts in beholding 
a touching model of humility ! Let us 
contemplate St. Joseph in the different 
conditions in which he was placed by 
divine Providence, and see his lowly hu- 
mility ! Not a word of complaint ever 
escaped him ; no regret for the departed 
grandeur of his family ; no thought of 



Eighteenth Day. 



complacency on the mission fulfilled by 
him ; he considers himself only as the ser- 
vant and dispenser of the things confided 
to him. He conforms in all things to the 
divine will, never murmuring under the 
many crosses placed upon him. Meek and 
forbearing towards all, in humility he pos- 
sessed his soul. Here is your model. In 
what do you resemble him ? Implore his 
assistance in overcoming your many de- 
fects. 



DEAR St. Joseph! grant that by 



thy example and that of my divine 
Saviour I may become meek and humble 
of heart. Thou, who in this wert a faithful 
imitator of Jesus, cause these virtues to 
enter deeply into my soul, and grant that 
by the practice of them I may become 
more and more like thee. I abandon my- 
self to thee, and invoke thy aid. This les- 



PRAYER. 




Eighteenth Day. 



139 



son of humility is one of the most difficult 
in the Gospel ; but nothing is impossible to 
God. And thou wilt be for me an all- 
powerful suppliant at the throne of grace, 
whence my soul may be imbued with 
meekness and humility. Amen. 

RESOLUTIONS 

TTAURING the course of the day recall 
^-^^ to mind .the preceding reflections. 

Repeat from time to time: St. Joseph, 
meek and humble, pray for us. 

Convince yourself of your miseries by 
reflecting on the goodness of God and 
your ingratitude. 

Willingly accept the humiliations that 
may befall you. 




Nineteenth Pay. 
ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF RELIGIOUS. 

Sancte Joseph y vir juste atque\St. Joseph, just and perfect 
perfecte, ora pro nobis. j man, pray for us. 

THIRST POINT: A religious vows the 
-practice of the evangelical counsels 
by subjecting himself in a particular man- 
ner to perfect obedience. The Gospel 
does not tell us that St. Joseph contracted 
any such engagements, but we infer from 
tradition that he made a vow of chastity. 
Whatever may have been the nature of the 
promises by which he bound himself to 
jg God, the perfection of his life gives him a 
close resemblance to religious, and he is 
proposed to them as a model. A religious 
makes the three vows of poverty, chastity, 
and obedience. St. Joseph was poor, 

diaste, and obedient ; but, at the same 
140 




Nineteenth Day. 141 



time, his manner and condition of life give 
him as a model to persons living in the 
world, and who wish to serve God more 
perfectly than the generality of Christians, 
and to add the practice of counsels to the 
virtue of precept. 

You who have made sacred engagements 
with God, renew them now with special 
fervor, and place them under the protec- 
tion of St. Joseph. You who feel in your 
hearts the desire of leading a more perfect 
life by applying yourselves to the realiza- 
tion of the virtues, spirit, and the perfec- 
tion of religious, invoke your father, St. 
Joseph, for you are of his family. And 
you who live the ordinary lives of Chris- 
tians, and do not feel yourselves called to 
the practice of the counsels, be faithful in 
fulfilling all the commandments required 
of you ; for in this way progress will be 
gained each day, and at last a relative 
perfection will be attained. Not to ad- 



142 



Nineteenth Day. 



vance is to recede. Place yourselves to- 
day under his protection, and on this his 
. feast day his holy prayers will serve as a 
support to yours. 

Second Point: No religious by the 
fulfilment of his vows has ever attained so 
high a degree of perfection as St. Joseph. 
Living in the world, surrounded by the ob- 
jects from which a religious separates him- 
self, and even possessing them ; reserving 
rights which the religious renounces, St. 
Joseph, by a continual self-denial and en- 
tire abandonment to the will of God, prac- 
tised the three virtues of poverty, chastity, 
and obedience in all that was in them most 
difficult, pure, and elevated. He was, it is 
true, proprietor of his little home and his 
working-tools, but his was an ownership 
detached from all things, willing to be in 
exile, and ready to remove wherever and 
whenever God desired him. St. Joseph 
was a husband, and he lived with his 



Nineteenth Day. 



143 



chaste spouse as her guardian, consoler, 
protector, and support. But he was the 
virginal spouse of the most pure Virgin. 
He commanded because he was the head 
of a family, the care of which was given | 
him ; and though he held the authority un- 
til his latest breath, he nevertheless was 
most obedient, since he conformed him- 
self to all the orders of Providence, and 
accomplished them with precision and 
eagerness, as is testified by the words of 
the Gospel. Let us imitate this beautiful 
model. 

Third Point : In order to understand 
the degree of religious perfection attained 
by St. Joseph, we must consider that he 
was not sustained by any of those human 
motives which faith may countenance, 
though they be detrimental to perfection, ' 
since they afford natural pleasure. His 
life was hidden and unknown. He cared 
not for fame, nor for friendly encourage- 



144 



Nineteenth Day. 



ment, nor human patronage. The joy 
of a good conscience, the satisfaction of 
having fulfilled his duty, and the love of 
God, were sufficient for him. In this he is 
a model for religious and all persons engag- 
ed by vow to the service of God. Let us 
examine the motive by which we are 
animated. If it be solely with a view of 
pleasing God and testifying our love for 
Him, let us thank God for giving us grace 
to act thus. Let us not allow human mo- 
tives to influence nor detract from vows so 
noble, pure, and sacred that we offer to 
God in testimony of our love for Him ; 
and those in the world who live without 
having made any formal engagement bind- 
ing them to the practice of the counsels 
and perfection should know that St. Joseph 
occupied a position similar to theirs, and 
that, though he made no religious vow, he 
was nevertheless more perfect than they 
are. Imitate him by daily aspiring to a 



Nineteenth Day, 



*45 



closer union with Jesus Christ and fidelity 
to the inspirations of conscience. 



BLESSED Joseph ! since Jesus while 



on earth was subject to thee, render- 
ed prompt obedience to thy commands, 
and cherished thee with most especial love 
and honor, how shall He now refuse thee 
anything in heaven, where all thy merits 
receive their full reward ? Pray for me, 
therefore, holy patriarch, and obtain for 
me these necessary graces : first of all, 
that I may have a sincere contrition for 
my sins ; that I may ever hate and fear all 
that is evil, and flee from it with firmness 
and constancy, especially from my most 
besetting sins ; grant that I may amend 
my life daily more and more, and constant- 
ly apply myself to the acquiring of virtue, 
especially those virtues I need most ; and 
that I may be kept safe amid the various 



PRAYER. 




14-6 



Nineteenth Day. 



temptations and occasions by which my 
soul may be exposed to the peril of dam- 
nation. For these and for all other need- 
ful graces, O holy Joseph ! I commend my- 
self to the goodness and mercy of my God, 
and to thy fatherly care and intercession ! 
Amen. 

RESOLUTIONS. 
T~"\URING the course of the day recall 
to mind the preceding reflections. 
Repeat from time to time the invoca- 
tion : St. Joseph, model of all virtues, pray 
for us. 

Do not regard stubbornness and obsti- 
nacy as dignity of character ; but let sin- 
cerity and goodness, or rather humility and 
meekness, be the true dignity we will strive 
to attain. 

Make some sacrifice that will enable yo.u 
to lay aside an alms for the Holy Father. 

Recite a Pater and Ave once, and St. 
Joseph, pray for us, three times. 



! Jwentieth Pay. 
ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF OBEDIENCE. 



Sancte Joseph^ vir obedieiztis- \ St. Joseph, most obedient^ pray 



IRST POINT: The necessity of 



x obedience. Every man is obliged to 
obey. Every Christian should render im- 
plicit obedience to the commands of God 
and of His Church. We have previously 
considered the duty of children to obey 
their parents ; we will now consider the 
obligation of obedience which binds us all, 
To obey is incumbent on all men. Though 
God does not Himself confer with us, nor 
send special messengers to us, as he did to 
Joseph, nevertheless He gives us His law, 
and manifests himself to us through His 
Churchin the teaching of His ministers; 



sime, ora pro nobis. 



for us. 




143 



Twentieth Day* 



therefore the fulfilling of our duties is but 
an act of obedience. Moreover, all are, in 
a measure, dependent on certain authori- 
ties, and, be these civil, religious, or paren- 
tal, we are bound in justice to render 
obedience to them. We obey God when 
we submit to lawful authority; and, on the 
contrary, when Ave refuse to obey those 
whom the will of God has placed over 
us, we disobey God Himself. St. Joseph 
obeyed the mandate of the Emperor 
Augustus in going to Bethlehem ; but 
he had in view an authority far superior 
to that of a worldly prince, for he recog- 
nized the will of God in the command of 
his earthly ruler. 

Second Point : Advantages of obedi- 
ence. Scripture says, " An obedient man 
shall speak of victory." In fact, the vic- 
tory gained over self-love and pride in 
rendering obedience to others, and submit- 
ting our will to theirs, immeasurably 



Twentieth Day. 



249 



multiplies the triumphs of a Christian, 
and these triumphs may be gained each 
day. According to another passage found 
in Scripture, " Obedience is better than 
sacrifice/' In explanation of this text, 
St. Gregory says in the immolation of 
victims, it is the flesh of animals that is 
offered to God ; whereas, by obedience 
we sacrifice ourselves. The merit of one 
act of obedience may be extended to a 
series of acts, and serve to consecrate them 
all to God ; sometimes one act devotes an 
entire life to God. Thus St. Joseph, by 
obeying the orders of the emperor, pro- 
cured the fulfilment of all the prophecies 
concerning the birth of our Saviour. By 
his flight into Egypt, he consecrated sev- 
eral years of his life to the accomplishment, 
of the designs of God. We should be 
grateful to God for giving us a means 
whereby to acknowledge our desire ot sub- 
mitting to His will, in the prayer He 



Twentieth Day, 



taught His disciples: " Thy will be done 
on earth as it is in heaven. " We should 
say these words with a lively feeling of our 
dependence on Him. 

Third POINT : Qualities of Obedience. — 
St. Joseph obeyed in spirit and in truth. 
He followed the dictates of his conscience 
in the sight of God, and with the desire of 
pleasing Him ; not caring how men should 
regard him, nor had he any fear of creating 
their displeasure, nor the desire of attract- 
ing their attention and admiration. St. 
Joseph obeyed promptly. The Scripture 
assures us that he executed the orders of 
God at the instar that they were mani- 
fested to him. What homage and love we 
may render to God by this ready obedi- 
ence, and what a source of graces is open- 
ed for us if we submit promptly to the will 
of those authorized by our heavenly Fa- 
ther to command us ! Love was the motive 
and principle of the obedience of Joseph. 



Twentieth Day. 



Where love is, obedience is sweet. All 
who are lawfully placed in authority hold 
their position by the will of God ; and even 
though they be harsh, severe, morose, and 
unkind, still they should be obeyed, on the 
consideration that God wills us to be sub- 
ject to them, and thereby prove our love 
for Him. 



OLY St. Joseph, obtain for me the 



A A true spirit of obedience. Help me 
to subdue my pride and submit my will 
freely to the salutary yoke of obedience. 
Let my soul be animated by a humility 
like unto that of our Mother Mary when 
she said : " Behold the handmaid of the 
Lord ; be it done unto me according to Thy 
word ; and pray that I may understand 
the advantages and necessity of faithful 
obedience. Amen. 



PRAYER. 




Twentieth Lay. 



RESOLUTIONS. 
TTAURING the course of the day recall 
to mind the preceding reflections. 
Repeat from time to time : St. Joseph, 
model of obedience, pray for us. 

Conform your will to the will of your 
superiors. 

Render a prompt and loving obedience 
to those who command you. 

Recite the Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray for us, three 
times. 




if 




JWENTY-FIRST J)AY. 

ST JOSEPH, MODEL OF RELIGIOUS OBE- 
DIENCE. 

Sancte JosefiJi^ vir obedien- i St. Joseph, most obedient, fir ay 
tissime, or a firo nobis. I for us. 

^\BEDIENCE is a virtue which imparts 
peace to the faithful sou], be he 
religious or secular. Ecclesiastics and re- 
ligious are indeed happy in the certainty 
of always performing the will of God by 
obeying their rules and superiors. 

FIRST POINT: Obedience practised by 
Superiors. — Superiors have some higher 
authority to whom they owe subjection. 
Even the princes of the earth have supe- 
riors in those w r ho direct them in either 
spiritual or temporal matters. It is a 

relief for those who command to feel that 
153 



154 Twenty-firsi Day. 



they are dependent on some one, whom 
they are to obey. To go still further, they 
can practise this virtue not only by obey- 
ing their superiors and equals, but in a 
manner their inferiors, by listening with 
kind attention to them, and never making 
them feel their inferiority. Jesus Christ 
himself teaches this in his conduct towards 
St. Joseph, and the life of this holy patri- 
arch presents many examples of this admi- 
rable virtue. 

SECOND POINT: Superiors and parents, 
when commanding, should seek only the 
greater glory of God. With this disposi- 
tion of mind and this intention in view, 
they will find that in commanding others 
they are invariably obeying God. The 
faithful practice of these two principles 
will give the command a mildness and force 
which it would not otherwise possess. Let 
us contemplate St. Joseph as superior in 
his domestic capacity over Jesus and Mary, 



Twenty-first Day. 



and admire his sweetness and humility. 
He is our model. Do we resemble him ? 

Third POINT : Parents and superiors, in 
fact, all who are placed over others, should 
have specified rules for the regulation of 
their different actions and exercises of each 
day. Thus, in the morning, they should 
strive to foresee all that may happen be- 
fore evening, and thereby prevent many 
faults of inadvertence. Besides, by having 
a specified time for each action, they will 
have frequent occasion of exercising their 
fidelity in the practice of obedience. 
Again, contemplate St. Joseph in the 
cottage at Nazareth, dwelling with Jesus 
and Mary. Order and regularity attend 
his every action. He has a specified time 
for rising, for prayer, for meals, work, re- 
laxation, and even for repose. The Gospel, 
telling of their journey to Jerusalem, says : 
" And when he was twelve years old, 
they were going up into Jerusalem, ac- 



Twenty-first Day. 



cording to the custom of the feast, and 
having fulfilled the days"; and from this 
we may infer that all their actions were 
regulated according to rule. 

o o 

PRAYER. 

QT. JOSEPH, admirable model of obe- 
dience, teach me to obey like thee ; 
grant that, in commanding others, I my- 
self may not lose the spirit of obedience. 
Assist me, I beseech thee, dear Saint, and 
with thy aid I will be sure of success." 

RESOLUTIONS. 
1R\URING the course of the day recall 
to mind the preceding reflections. 
Accustom your mind to view the will of 
God in the orders of your superiors. 
Be particularly faithful to your rule. 
Recite the Psalm " Miserere " on your 
knees. 

Say the Our Father and Hail Mary once, 
and St. Joseph, pray for us, three times. 




JWENTY-SECOND PAY. 

ST. JOSEPH, DEPOSITARY OF THE SECRETS 
OF GOD. 

Sancte Joseph, coadjutor magni \ St. Joseph, depositary of great 
consilii, ora pro nobis. | designs, pray for ns. 

THIRST POINT: The first great design 
in which St. Joseph co-operated 
was the sanctification of his soul. God 
created us without our co-operation, but 
He will not justify us without it. The 
greater the graces and privileges received, 
the more humble and earnest must be our 
endeavors to correspond with them. The 
creature has nothing for commendation in 
himself for the concurring in these graces ; 
on the contrary, he should fear lest suffi- 
cient has not been done on his part. St. 
Joseph understood .perfectly well the ne- 
cessity of this co-operation. Penetrated 

157 



158 Twenty-second Day. 



with gratitude for the favors he had re- 
ceived, he strove only to correspond faith- 
fully with them. We must likewise concur 
in the great design of our sanctification. 
God has made known to us, by innumer- 
able lights and graces, that He wishes us 
to become partakers of His happiness and 
glory. He purifies us from our faults, 
offers us every means of obtaining pardon, 
assists us in acquiring virtue, and, above 
all, the virtue of charity. It was charity 
that caused Him to reveal Himself to us, 
to assume our weak nature, becoming man 
for our salvation. Dctts cl tar it as est — 
" God is charity." Do we comprehend 
the sublimity of our destiny, and strive to 
attain it ? The grace of God is necessary 
to advance in perfection, but our co-opera- 
tion is required. The grace of God is with 
me, says St. Paul. 

Second Point: St. Joseph was made 
participator in another great design of 



Twenty-second Day. 159 



God : the care of Jesus, the Incarnate 
Word, and Mary, the most perfect of all 
creatures, masterpiece of the hand of God, 
purer and more exalted than the angels. 
'1 he intimate, minute, and deep knowledge 
which he obtained of them was revealed to 
him by degrees. The angels, shepherds, 
and wise men, the voice of the multitude, 
the interior lights, but, above all, his thirty 
years' residence with them, which the 
angels themselves might have envied, 
served to show to St. Joseph the mysteries 
of grace and love attached to the persons 
of Jesus and Mary. This successive and 
gradual knowledge gave place to transports 
of admiration and delight. What must 
have been the happiness of St. Joseph in 
being so closely united to Him whom the 
angels and saints revere, and before whom 
they bow in lowly adoration ! We may not 
be able to obtain the same degree of know- 
ledge of these two beings, yet we can and 



i Go Twenty-second Day. 



should study daily to make progress in it. 
For have we not the Gospel explained 
and interpreted by the Church ; the lives 
of the saints, which are reflections of the 
lives of Jesus and his holy Mother? We 
have, above all, the Holy Eucharist ; and 
where can be found more touching or 
more admirable remembrances of Naza- 
reth ? 

Third Point: The third mystery in 
which St. Joseph was made a participator 
was that of which St. Paul speaks when 
he says, "And evidently great is the 
mystery of godliness which was manifested 
in the flesh, justified in the spirit, appear- 
ed unto angels, hath been preached unto 
the Gentiles, is believed in the world, is 
taken up in glory." The Incarnation, united 
with Redemption, for the salvation of the 
whole world, is the mystery in which St. 
Joseph, after the Blessed Virgin, became 
participator. Tie aided, by his obedience, 



Tweniy-second Day. 161 



zeal, and prudence, in the accomplishment 
of these designs ; he contracted engage- 
ments with God which served to attach 
him to all mankind, rendering him in some 
manner responsible for each one of us, 
and even for the existence of our adorable 
Saviour. We, in turn, are obliged to co- 
operate by word and example in the fruits 
and effects of these mysteries. The mys- 
tery of the Incarnation is forcibly brought 
to the mind each day as we repeat the 
Angelus, " And the Word was made flesh, 
and dwelt among us." This part of the 
Angelus, fervently said, may be offered up 
by the pious soul in reparation for the 
affronts offered to the Redeemer by the 
taunts of the impious, the contempt of 
the infidel, the forget fulness of the tepid, 
and the indifference of so many relaxed 
Christians. 



162 



Tibmty-second Day. 



PRAYER. 



OLY St. Joseph ! my mind is deeply 



A penetrated with the thoughts of 
these great tiuths; but I need the inspira- 
tions of divine grace to be faithful to the 
inspirations received. Do thou obtain for 
me that, like thee, I may faithfully concur 
ill the designs of God. Amen, 

RESOLUTIONS. 
T~) ECALL to mind the preceding reflec- 



From time to time repeat : St. Joseph, 
faithful to divine grace, pray for us. 

Carefully banish all distractions during 
prayer. 

Avoid deliberate sins. 

Recite the Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray for us, three 
times. 





TWENTY-THIRD JDaY, 

ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF PRUDENCE. 



Sancle Joseph, vir prudentis- 
sime, ora pro nobis. 



St. Joseph, model of prudence, 
pray for tis. 



IRST POINT : Prudence is a virtue 
which causes us to, use the most 
appropriate means whereby to arrive at 
a proposed end. Prudence is a virtue old 
as the world. The Bible affords us ad- 
mirable models of prudence. The first 
Joseph offers an example of this virtue un- 
equalled in history, unless it be by the 
second Joseph, who signalized himself no 
less than the first by the prudent manage- 
ment of all confided to him. We have 
seen St. Joseph correspond with the de- 
signs of God in an admirable and perfect 
manner, and this correspondence was the 

fruit of his prudence. This is a necessary 
163 



i6± Twenty-iliird Day. 



virtue, since one who is just and faithful 
to God is directed by it in the solution of 
the most delicate, important, and elevated 
questions. Our Saviour Himself tells us, 
" Be prudent as the serpent and simple as 
the dove." As the eyes of the servant 
never close completely, so prudence must 
always watch and rule our desires, words, 
and actions. 

SECOND POINT : There are two kinds of 
prudence — worldly prudence and a pru- 
dence coming from God ; and it is necessary 
to discriminate between them. Worldly 
prudence, not having an object in view 
similar to Christian prudence, looks to the 
attainment of worldly advantages, and 
places the joy and happiness of man in 
the possession of them, not caring by what 
means this end be obtained, and fearing 
only the censure of public opinion and the 
law. The success attendant on this world- 
ly prudence seems to justify its practice ; 



Twenty-third Day. 165 



and its possessors fear nothing more than 
want of capacity, which they term a fault 
compromising them in the eyes of men ; 
hence they avoid it. Have we to accuse 
ourselves of practising this prudence by 
allowing worldly motives to direct our 
actions ? The first Joseph was chosen by 
Pharao to teach prudence to the wise 
men of the court. Let us learn this virtue 
from our father, St. Joseph. 

THIRD POINT : Christian prudence, un- 
like the one above mentioned, proposes 
for its aim the eternal salvation of the 
soul, the glory of God, and the accom- 
plishment of His adorable will. Even when 
regarding temporal, material, social, or 
political matters, Christian prudence al- 
ways looks beyond the terrestrial aim. This 
is the first law of Christian prudence. As 
to the means made use of for the attaining 
of the proposed end, it draws them from 
the rules laid down in the Gospel, and 



1 65 Twenty -third Day. 



from the examples contained therein. In 
selecting from them, it accepts only those 
which conscience regards as perfectly le- 
gitimate. Blending humility with these, 
it fears not any threatened misfortunes, 
seeks not to avoid them by making use of 
expedients injurious not only to sanctity, 
but also to the dignity of a Christian. In 
working for God, a zeal enlightened by 
divine inspiration and directed by obedi- 
ence is sure of success. St. Joseph is an 
admirable model of Christian prudence, the 
only one deserving of the name of a pru- 
dent man in its complete acceptation. St. 
Joseph was a simple, upright, and God- 
fearing man. His simplicity was not the 
result of a weak mind or judgment, but 
proceeded from the Dispenser of all graces, 
and was bestowed for our example. How 
we imitate this sublime model ? 



Twenty-third Day. 



167 



PRAYER. 

"pRUDENT saint! obtain for me the 
- spirit of true simplicity. I have 
compromised by repeated infidelities,, and 
have not made the proper use of, the 
means placed at my disposal for the at- 
taining of this end by an all-wise Provi- 
dence. Aid me, kind protector, to amend 
my life. Impress deeply on my heart the 
nothingness of earth and the importance 
of my eternal salvation. 

RESOLUTIONS. 

TOURING the course of the day recall 
to mind the preceding reflections. 

Follow the advice of a director. 

Recite the Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray for us, three 
times. 



JWENTY-FOURTH J) AY, 

ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF CHASTITY. 



Sancte Joseph, vir vir go vir- 
ginis matris, or a tiro nobis. 



St. Joseph , virgin spouse of a 
Virgin Mother, pray for us. 



THIRST POINT: The vow of virginity 
A uniting Joseph and Mary. — We have 
already spoken of the title, Spouse of 
Mary, conferred on St. Joseph — a title 
which was the first and essential basis of 
his greatness. A virgin should have a 
virginal spouse ; and there is every reason 
to believe, independently of Scripture, 
that St. Joseph had taken the vow of 
chastity. The bond w r as reciprocal, and 
the marriage of Joseph and Mary served 
only to unite them more closely, and 
establish a mutual desire for the spirit- 
ual good of each other. "They are vir- 
gins uniting themselves," says Bossuet, 

168 



Twenty-fourth Day. 



169 



"and, like two bright stars, imparting 
their light to each other/' St. Joseph 
united to the Blessed Virgin is a model 
which all married persons should strive 
to imitate. Regulating their lives, words, 
and actions in accordance with this model, 
they need not fear being led astray from 
the path of holiness. 

Second Point : Honor of the title of 
virgin. — Barrenness in a family was re- 
garded by the Jews as a dishonor, or at 
least a severe trial. We read in the old 
law of several just persons who accepted 
this trial with submission, but not with- 
out bitter regret. We have a touching 
example of this in the person of Anna, 
the mother of Samuel. Among the just 
who lived before the coming of our Sav- 
iour, Scripture does not mention any one 
who bound himself by vow to the practice 
of chastity. St. Joseph and the Blessed 
Virgin were the first. Let us congratulate 



17° Twenty -fourth Bay. 



and honor them as the recipients of this 
most glorious of all privileges. Virginity 
is the highest state of life to which a 
creature can be called. If we have the 
happiness of being called to this state, 
let us thank our divine Saviour for bestow- 
ing on us this greatest of graces. The 
married state is also holy, and is ranked 
by Jesus Christ among the sacraments, 
and sanctified in the Church by prayer. 
Virginity is holier, as is proved by the 
words of St. Paul: " Therefore, both he 
that giveth his virgin in marriage doth 
well, and he that giveth her not doth 
better.'' Each individual is in duty bound 
to correspond as well as he is able to his 
vocation. 

Third Point : Reward of the virginity 
of St. Joseph. — The special privilege of 
being called the foster-father of Jesus 
Christ and the guardian of the Holy Vir- 
gin w r as a reward of his virginity, as was 



-Twenty -fourth Day. 



171 



also the inexpressible honor given him 
of having Jesus repose on his virginal 
heart. By this first example of virginity 
given to the world, St. Joseph became 
the father and guardian of all who make 
a similar vow. Virgins, as spouses of 
Jesus, should carefully guard and cherish 
this virtue, inasmuch as they are obliged 
to instil a love and respect for it into 
the hearts of those under their care, and 
knowing that the more they themselves 
love, revere, and practise it, the greater 
will be their influence over others, and 
the greater their reward in eternity. 



THOU who gavest St. Joseph to 



Mary for a protector, and who didst 
favor the heart of this great saint by mak- 
ing it the first adorer of the Heart of Jesus 
in the bosom of his mother, grant that by 
his prayers and by imitating him I may 



PRAYER. 




r 7 2 



Twenty -fourth Day. 



dwell with him in the heart of the Im- 
maculate Virgin, there to adore God for 
ever. Amen. 

RESOLUTIONS. 

"O ECALL to mind the preceding reflec- 
^ tions. 

Repeat often the invocation : St. Joseph, 
model of chaste souls, pray for us. 
Pray for humility. 

Repeat occasionally the words of St. 
Paul : " Lord ! what wilt thou have me 
do?" 

Observe modesty of the eyes. 

Recite the Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray for us, three 
times. 




T 



WENTY-FIFTH 



Pay. 



ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF PURITY. 



Sancte Joseph, vir vir go vir- 
gi?iis matris, ora pro nobis. 



Saint Joseph, virgin spouse of 
a Virgin Mother, pray for us. 



THIRST POINT: Beauty of the virtue 
- of purity. — This heavenly virtue 
renders us dear to God and to men. 
Blessed are the clean of heart, .for they 
shall see God. The perfume of this vir- 
tue is the most agreeable that can be 
offered to God. Purity assimilates man 
unto the angels. In praising purity, it is 
St. Joseph we eulogize. Virgin spouse 
of a Virgin Mother, pray for us. Preserve 
childhood inviolate in mind and heart, pro- 
tect youth, support mature age; and may 
the aged, through thy protection, add to 
173 



Twenty-fifth Day. 



their crowns gems of unsullied radiant 
purity. 

Second Point : The contrary vice. — 
Where is the painter who can find fig- 
ures sufficiently dark and horrible where- 
with to picture the contrary vice ? God 
cursed it in the beginning of time in these 
terrible words : " My spirit shall not re- 
main in man for ever, because he is flesh ! " 
God has punished it with fearful chastise- 
ments. In order to efface its stain from 
the earth, the Deluge was sent ; the cities 
of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed 
by fire ; a whole tribe among the Israelites 
was annihilated on account of the sin of a 
few ; David, the prophet king, chosen by 
God himself, was rigorously chastised for 
his sin by the loss of his kingdom and the 
death of his son. Solomon, the wisest of 
kings, died leaving the world uncertain 
as to his destiny. The list of chastise- 
ments by which God punished, even here 



Twenty -fifth Day. 175 



on earth, the vice of impurity is inex- 
haustible. If God sometimes delays the 
punishment, it is not the less certain nor 
terrible. Woe to him who, for the gratifi- 
cation of sensuality, brings sin and dis- 
grace to an accomplice, or, worse still, to a 
poor victim. The punishment given on 
earth to such is remorse of conscience ; and 
when this remorse is crushed, the neglect 
of religious practices follows, which is suc- 
ceeded by loss of faith and, finally, that 
spiritual blindness which gives the sign of 
reprobation. Chaste spouse of a Virgin 
Mother, pray for and protect us. 

Third Point: Means of preserving pu- 
rity. — Watching, mortification, and prayer. 
Our enemy goes about like a roaring lion, 
seeking whom he may devour; and he * 
must be resisted with the arms of faith, 
which are fasting, watching, and prayer. 
Our Lord himself tells us, when speaking 
of the demon of impurity, " This kind of 



176 



Tweni) '-fifth Day. 



demon can be expelled only by prayer and 
fasting/' According to the interpretation 
of the Church of these words, fasting em- 
braces all kinds of mortification and sacri- 
fices. We have endeavored, during this 
month, to initiate you into the practice of 
mortification and sacrifices that could not 
injure your health nor interfere with the 
duties of your state of life. Let us strive 
to impress our minds with these thoughts 
and the salutary effects of these practices, 
so that we may derive lasting benefit from 
them, and make use of them in time of 
temptation, and at the same time be im- 
pressed with the truth that humility is 
necessary for us. The humble alone pass 
unsullied through this sort of temptation. 
Add to sacrifice, humility, and mortifica- 
tion morning and evening prayers, the 
sign of the cross in time of temptation, 
the invocation of the sweet names, Jesus, 
Mary, and Joseph, and the words of the 



Twenty-fifth Day. 



177 



Lord' a Prayer, " Lead us not into tempta- 
tion." But all these will not suffice if we 
do not guard our imagination and senses. 
" Watch and pray, that ye enter not 
into temptation." Parents, watch over 
your children ; be their visible guardian 
angels, their second providences. Masters 
and mistresses, watch over and correct the 
disorders of your household ; for nothing 
can escape the all-seeing eye of God, and 
you must account to Him at the tribunal 
of justice. 

PRAYER. 

T> EM EMBER, O amiable and power- 
ful protector, St. Joseph! that ac- 
cording to the testimony of your devoted 
servant, St. Teresa, no one ever implored 
your intercession with devotion and confi- 
dence without obtaining relief. Animated 
by this sweet and consoling hope, I come 
to you, O worthy spouse of the Virgin of 



Twenty-fifth Day. 



virgins ! and at your feet I seek for re- 
fuge and protection. ' O you who have 
borne the glorious title of father of Jesus ! 
reject not my humble prayer, but hear it 
faithfully, and present it for me to Him 
who disdained not to be called your son, 
and who will not refuse your petition. 
Amen. 

RESOLUTIONS. 

TOURING the course of the day recall 
to mind the preceding reflections. 
Repeat from time to time the invo- 
cation : St. Joseph, model of purity, pray 
for us. 

Say three Hail Marys daily, to preserve 
* the virtue of purity. 

Say the Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray for us, three 
times. 



JWENTY-SIXTH J) AY, 



ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF ATTENTION IN 
PRAYER. 



Sancte Joseph, vir in oratione 
ass/due, ora pro nobis. 



St. Joseph, model of attention, 
in prayer, pray for us. 



THIRST POINT: Necessity of prayer.— 
We have said that prayer is abso- 
lutely necessary to preserve in us the 
sweet and delicate virtue of purity. It is 
important frequently to recall to our minds 
that prayer is essential to the practice of 
all the virtues, to the avoidance of sin, and 
in general to the fulfilment of our duties. 
Prayer is necessary not only as a means of 
soliciting the graces needed for our souls, 
but also as an homage of gratitude, adora- 
tion, and love towards God, whose infinite 
bounty, goodness, and love demand this 

triple return on our part. Our Lord Him- 
179 



x8o 



Twenty-sixth Day. 



self taught us this manner of prayei and 
left us a most admirable form in the " Our 
Father." Frequent prayer was recom- 
mended in the old law, and we see the 
exactitude with which the Pharisees ob- 
served this counsel ; but what they did 
merely through ceremony St. Joseph, a 
true Israelite, fulfilled in a spirit of faith, 
animated by love of God. 

Second Point : Essential qualities of 
prayer. — Prayer must be accompanied with 
confidence, humility, and fervor. Prayer is, 
in itself, an act of humility ; for in soliciting 
favors from God, or when returning thanks 
for those already received, we find ourselves 
penetrated with a knowledge of our own 
unworthiness and misery, and our absolute 
dependence on God. This humility tends 
to increase our confidence in the goodness 
and mercy of God ; and prayers uttered 
with confidence always receive the favor 
solicited, though for a time it may seem 



Twenty- sixth Day, 181 

that Almighty God refuses to listen favor- 
ably to our petitions. Love, accompanied 
by fervor, is the third disposition which 
renders our prayers pleasing to God and 
efficacious in our advancement in perfec- 
tion. " He who ceases to love ceases to 
pray," says St. Augustine. A few mo- 
ments' meditation on these words would 
suffice to convince us of the importance of 
this most essential quality of prayer. 

Third Point: Prayer in common. — We 
will find our models in this exercise in the 
humble cottage at Nazareth. It cannot be 
deemed rash to assert that Jesus, Mary, 
and Joseph frequently practised this holy 
exercise, nor can it be too much to con- 
sider Mary and Joseph as being the first to 
receive from the lips of Jesus that prayer 
of which He Himself is the author. We 
are bound, after their example, to establish 
in our homes, not only the use of this 
prayer, but also family prayer, at least in 



182 



Twenty-sixth Day. 



the evening ; and if this usage has been 
already established in the family of which 
we are members, we should endeavor by 
every means in our power to introduce it 
into the homes of others. Nor should we 
content ourselves with merely reciting 
family prayers, -but should, moreover, ac- 
custom ourselves to read daily passages 
from the Scriptures, the " Lives of the 
Saints," " Imitation of Christ/' " History of 
the Church, " or some other work on religion 
or piety. Incredible advantages have been 
derived from the observance of these pious 
practices, not the least of which is the im- 
pression which it stamps on the mind of 
youth. Again, we see how pleasing is this 
practice to our Lord in the assurance He 
gives when He says, " Again I say to you 
that if two of you shall agree upon earth 
concerning anything whatsoever they shall 
ask, it shall be done for them by my 
Father who is in heaven." 



Twenty-sixth Day. 



183 



PRAYER. 



OLY St. Joseph ! permit me to 



A ** unite my prayers with those thou 
didst offer up with Jesus and Mary. Ob- 
tain that I may become more . attentive 
and more devout during prayer. Thou 
who art in a particular manner patron of 
family prayer, bless those who unite here 
on earth in praising Jesus, whose protector 
thou wert, and obtain for them the graces 
needed for their salvation. Yes, dear pa- 
tron, bless them, and bless thy client now 
imploring thy assistance. Amen. 

RESOLUTIONS. 
TOURING the course of the day recall 



to mind the preceding reflections. 
Pray often with confidence, humility, 
fervor, and love. 

Say the Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray for us, three 
times. 





JWENTY-SEYENTH J) AY. 



ST. JOSEPH, MODEL OF INTERIOR 



Sancte Joseph , vir cratione I St. Joseph, most assiduous in 



IRST POINT: The habit of prayer 



x produces in the soul an interior recol- 
lection, which keeps the mind fixed on 
God, and prevents our being too much 
absorbed in exterior occupations. One who 
has acquired this habit lives in the con- 
tinual presence of the great Being who 
called him into existence ; and, whether 
employed in laborious duties, or mingling 
in the busy scenes of life, he never loses 
sight of that one all-inspiring thought, 
beside which all earthly joys dwindle into 
nothingness. This is what we term the 



RECOLLECTION. 



assidue, or a pro nobis. 



prayer, pray for us. 




Twenty -seventh Day. 185 



interior or meditative life. Let us consi- 
der how profound and tranquil must have 
been the life of St. Joseph, who, whether 
at work alone or with companions, had his 
heart and mind centred on God. We be- 
hold him ever the same ; his noble and 
serene countenance bearing that indelible 
mark which the constant union of the 
soul with God always imprints. Here is 
our model. Let us endeavor, after his 
example, to acquire this interior recollec- 
tion, which will enable us to overcome 
temptations, whatever be their nature or 
strength. Habitual prayer is the most 
effectual means for obtaining this end ; and 
in order to aid those desiring to acquire 
this practice, we give two forms of prayer. 

Second Point : The first form is ejacu- 
latory prayers, w T hich are short aspirations 
directed to God w T ith all the fervor of which 
the soul is capable ; occupying but a mo- 
ment, they take from the evil one all 



iS6 Twenty- seventh Day. 



power of depriving them of their efficacy. 
They have, then, a greater influence over 
the heart of Jesus, forcing Him, as it were, 
to listen favorably, and grant our petitions. 
Such, for example, were the aspirations of 
a Vincent de Paul, a Teresa, a Francis de 
Sales, a Magdalen di Pazzi, and many 
others. What St. Joseph's were w r e know 
not ; but from a heart so just, so pure, and 
filled with the love of God as w r as his 
heart, aspirations ardent and fervent must 
have issued. Let us implore St. Joseph to 
obtain for us that our hearts may be ani- 
mated with sentiments like unto his. 

Third Point: Mental prayer. — Mental 
prayer serves to unite our souls to God, 
and aids in the practice of habitual recollec- 
tion. On commencing this exercise, we 
should place ourselves in the presence of 
God, adore His infinite majesty, acknow- 
ledge our own weakness and misery, im- 
plore the assistance of the Holy Ghost, and 



Twenty -seventh Day. 



is 7 



reflect a few moments on the proposed 
subject. This subject may consist of one 
of the truths of religion, a good thought, 
a passage from a pious book, or from the 
gospel or epistle of the day, a virtue to be 
acquired, or a vice to be overcome. The 
reflections made dispose our souls to be- 
come worthy recipients of grace ; emotions 
of the heart succeed the reflection, and 
these, with affections of the will, are the 
most important parts of the meditation. 
The exercise is finished by taking a practi- 
cal resolution for the day, which may be 
drawn from the subject on which we medi- 
tated, or it may be the correction of a 
predominant fault, or the avoidance of an 
occasion of sin ; and, lastly, an aspiration 
should be chosen, to be repeated frequently 
during the day, so that it may serve the 
twofold duty of recalling to mind the 
meditation and the resolution taken. St. 
Francis de Sales, in his " Introduction to a 



i83 



Twenty-seventh Day. 



Devout Life," particularly recommends 
meditation as a means of salvation. 



tJARDIAN of Jesus and Mary, I 



unite my prayers with thy fervent 
aspirations and holy contemplations. Each 
day I will place my resolutions under thy 
protection and that of my Mother Mary, 
and under this double safeguard I will 
rest in the full assurance of one day at- 
taining to the sublime height gained by 
those who applied themselves with zeal 
and fervor to the constant practice of this 
holy exercise. Teach me, dear father, to 
unite my prayers with those of Jesus and 
Mary, and grant that, after imitating thee 
closely here on earth, I may one day share 
in the joy and happiness of thy clients now 
in heaven. Amen. 



PRAYER 




Twenty -seventh Day, 



189 



RESOLUTIONS. 
TOURING the course ot the day recall 
to mind the preceding reflections. 
Repeat from time to time the invoca- 
tion : St. Joseph, model of interior recol- 
lection, pray for us. 

Learn to become habitually recollected. 
Resolve to make a meditation every day. 
Recite to-day, on your knees, the psalm, 
" Miserere. " 

Say the Our Father and Hail Mary once, 
and St. Joseph, pray for us, three times. 




JWENTY-EIGHTH J)AY; 

ST. JOSEPH, OUR PROTECTOR. 



Sancte Joseph, kufus temfioris 
specialis protector, ora pro 
n obis. 



St. Joseph, our present special 
protector, pray for us. 



THIRST POINT : Since the first ages of 
the Church, the greatest and most 
illustrious saints and doctors have spoken 
in highest terms of St. Joseph. Sts. 
Gregory Nazianzen, John Chrysostom, 
John Damascene, Ambrose, and Augustine 
were his panegyrists. In the course of 
centuries, the most eminent men have pub- 
lished his praises. Let it be sufficient for 
us to name Sts. Bernard, Thomas of 
Aquin, and Bernardine of Sienna. But 
the honor paid him by the Church has been 
fully developed since the heresies of Luther 



Twenty-eighth Day. 



191 



and Calvin. St. Teresa seems to have re- 
ceived a special mission from Providence 
for the promotion of devotion to St. Jo- 
seph. Here are her own words relative to 
this devotion : " I cannot, without wonder, 
admiration, and love, think of the great 
graces God has given me through the 
intercession of St. Joseph, and of the great 
perils of body and soul from which he has 
rescued me. It seems that God accords to 
other saints the power to succor us in cer- 
tain circumstances, but I know from ' ex- 
perience that St. Joseph can help us at all 
times and on all occasions ; as though Je- 
sus Christ wished to demonstrate that > as 
He was subject to him here on earth, He 
can now in heaven refuse him nothing. 
Other persons whom I advised to recom- 
mend themselves to his intercession have 
experienced his power in a similar manner, 
in consequence of which many now have 
great devotion to him, and daily feel more 



192 



Twenty-eighth Day. 



and more the truth of what I have as- 
serted." 

Second Point: St. Teresa's example 
has found imitators in every Catholic coun- 
try,, and we find devotion to St. Joseph 
rapidly increasing. Churches and chapels 
erected in his honor, religious associations 
organized under his patronage, congrega- 
tions placed under his protection, the 
month of March specially consecrated to 
his remembrance, the widespread custom 
of invoking his name after the names of 
Jesus and Mary — all bear testimony of 
an especial confidence in the protection of 
St. Joseph on the part of the children of 
the Catholic Church ; and the Church her- 
self, through those who teach in her name, 
encourages and supports this generous 
impulse of confidence and affection. Tak- 
ing only the pontificate of Pius IX., which 
is one of the most illustrious and glorious 
in the long series of popes, we see that al- 



Iwenty-eighth Day. 



*93 



most immediately on his accession to the 
chair of St. Peter, he established the feast 
of the " Patronage of St. Joseph." In his 
memorable address delivered in 1862, he 
recommended the Church and her wants to 
the powerful protection of St. Joseph ; and 
later, by his authority, the entire Church 
was placed under his patronage. 

THIRD POINT: The charity of many has 
become cold ; even faith itself is in danger 
of being lost in many souls ; and new 
means from the treasury of divine Provi- 
dence are needed to animate zeal, faith, 
and piety. The wants of the Church have 
become more pressing since the attacks of 
modern heresies and the so-called philoso- 
phy of rationalism. God gives manifest 
proofs of the power of St. Joseph and 
His desire of having him honored 
and invoked by His children. When 
friends fail on earth, win for yourselves 
friends in heaven. What patronage more 



r94 



Twenty eighth Day. 



appropriate than his in our times? At 
present, all persons seem to desire rank 
and fortune. Let them picture to their 
minds the majestic figure of St. Joseph liv- 
ing contented in faith, hope, and charity. 
The working-classes are pressed clown by 
disguised preachers of pantheism, atheism, 
and socialism ; and secret societies seek to 
increase their numbers, threatening the 
world with an overthrow unprecedented in 
history. Let us invoke this patron of 
workmen, himself an artisan, whose secret 
was that of an interior, hidden, humble 
life entirely devoted to the service of God 
and the love of his neighbor, in union and 
company with Jesus and Mary. 

I 

PRAYER. 

! 

T) EMEMBER, O amiable and powerful 

protector, St. Joseph! that, accord- i 
ing to the testimony of your devoted ser- 
vant, St. Teresa, no one ever implored 



Twenty-eighth Day. 



*95 



your intercession with devotion and con- 
fidence without obtaining relief. Ani- 
mated by this sweet and consoling hope, 
I come to you, O worthy spouse of the 
Virgin of virgins! and at your feet I seek 
for refuge and protection. O you who 
have borne the glorious title of father of 
Jesus! reject not my humble prayer, but 
hear it favorably, and present it for me to 
Him who disdained not to be called your 
son, and who will not refuse your petition. 
Amen. 



URING the course of the day recall 



to mind the preceding reflections. 
Examine each action, and strive to ac- 
quire purity of intention in all you do. 

Mortify your desire for drink, in union 
with the thirst endured by Jesus in His 
passion. 



RESOLUTIONS. 





JWENTY-NINTH J)AY. 

ST. JOSEPH, PATRON OF A HAPPY DEATH. 

Sancte Joseph, protector mori- \ Saint Joseph, our protector in 
entium, ora pro nobis. J the hotir of death, pray for 

| tiS. 




HREE reasons are given for the con- 
ferring of this title on St. Joseph. 



FIRST POINT: He died in the arms of 
Jesus and Mary. To St. Joseph alone 
among men was given the consoling privi- 
lege of dying in the arms of Jesus and 
Mary. Sweet and tranquil must have been 
that death, attended as it was by those 
whose presence can calm the agitated soul, 
render less painful the final separation of 
the soul from the body, and alleviate the 
terrors of the awaiting judgment. Fool- 
ish indeed is the man who does not beg 

for this crowning grace of a happy death. 
196 



Twenty -ninth Day. 



197 



According to a tradition confirmed by reve- 
lation, the death of St. Joseph occurred a 
short time previous to the commencement 
of the public ministry of our Saviour. 
Nothing was yet known of the future pro- 
digies to be wrought by Jesus — prodigies 
which were to reflect so much glory on the 
poor family of Nazareth. Joseph died ob- 
scure and unknown — a perfect type of the 
Christian death in all its beauty, simplicity, 
and grandeur. Jesus died on the cross, in 
torments and sufferings — a victim of propi- 
tiation for the sins of men ; and Mary, His 
Mother, expired fifteen years later, con- 
sumed with love and the ardent desire of 
beholding once more her divine Son, with 
whom she was so intimately united in soul. 
The death of St. Joseph differed from 
these two. holy deaths, inasmuch as his 
was accompanied with regret for leaving 
on earth those who formed his happiness, 
and who were one day to become the 



Twenty-ninth Day. 



brightest ornaments of heaven. But he 
died filled with hope in the assurance of a 
blessed eternity, encouraged by the all- 
powerful love of Jesus and the sweet 
words of his Immaculate Spouse. Moriatur 
anima mca morie justorum — " Let my soul 
die the death of the just. ,, If in my last 
moments I feel a regret when leaving those 
I hold dear on earth, and the sorrow of 
that separation grieve my poor soul, do 
thou, dear patron, console me in the 
thought of the glorious reunion of all 
those united by the ties of blood, friend- 
ship, or faith, and whose happiness shall be 
consummated in heaven. 

Second Point : St. Joseph a powerful 
mediator with the heart of Jesus. After 
Jesus and Mary, what more powerful pro- 
tector than St. Joseph can we invoke in the 
solemn and decisive moment on which all 
depends, when the soul in anguish calls on 
those who have the power of aiding and 



Tweniy -ninth Day. 199 



protecting her? Gerson says that the 
prayers addressed by St. Joseph to Jesus 
and Mary have the force of a command, 
rather than the form of a supplication. 
The confidence of a Christian becomes ani- 
mated and enlivened by these thoughts, 
and the name of St. Joseph becomes a sure 
and impenetrable shield against the shafts 
of hell, and an all-powerful safeguard in 
the terrors of death. 

Third Point: St. Joseph was taught 
by Jesus and Mary to adopt us as his chil- 
dren. No mortal ever obtained so deep 
a knowledge of the hearts of Jesus and 
Mary as our dear father, St. Joseph. St. 
John was called the Beloved, the Apostle 
of predilection, on account of his having 
reposed on the bosom of our Saviour; but 
St. Joseph dwelt with Jesus during thirty 
years in an intimacy which the angels 
might have envied, and in the capacity of 
father. We should often reflect on what we 



200 



Twenty-ninth Day. 



owe St. Joseph in consideration of the 
numerous graces which he obtained from 
Jesus for all men, but especially for poor 
sinners. Moreover, in becoming the 
adopted father of Jesus, he became ours 
also ; for are we not named, though infi- 
nitely unworthy, the brothers of Jesus ? 
Alas ! far more appropriate would be the 
title executioners of the world's Saviour ; 
for we daily become such by the commis- 
sion of sin. Still, St. Joseph claims us for 
his children, and the tears and blood of 
his innocent Son render us dearer in his 
eyes, while the remembrance of Calvary 
serves to increase his loving and paternal 
tenderness towards us. If the affection of 
a father for his child manifests itself most 
intensely at the hour ot the death of the 
child, and if, as a Christian, he uses every 
means in his power to procure for it the 
graces attendant on a happy death, what, 
think you, must be the loving, earnest, 



Twenty -ninth Day. 201 



anxious tenderness of our dear father, St. 
Joseph, when he sees one of his children 
on the point of being summoned before a 
just Judge? With fervor and love he then 
offers on behalf of the dying one the peti- 
tions addressed to himself! 



LOVING father! permit me to ad - 



dress you to-day as if it were the 
last day of my life. Inspire me with the 
sentiments I shall experience on my death- 
bed ; for then my soul will not seek for 
studied words, but will call on you from 
the depths of her own weakness and 
misery, pronouncing your name with love 
and confidence, and repeating often this 
little prayer : O dearest Father ! whom I 
have love so ardently, and so often invok- 
ed during life, pray for me now, and ob- 
tain for me the grace of a happy death. 
Amen. 



PRAYER. 




202 Twenty -fiinth Day. 



RESOLUTIONS. 

TOURING the course of the day recall 
^-^^ to your mind the preceding reflec- 
tions. 

Repeat from time to time : St. Joseph, 
patron of a happy death, pray for us. 

Desire death as the only means of con- 
summate union with God. 

Recite on your knees the prayers for the 
faithful departed. 

Recite the Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray for us, three 
times. 



Jhirtteth Pay. 



ST. JOSEPH, PATRON OF A HAPPY DEATH. 



ET us again meditate on the impor- 



tant subject that yesterday engaged 
our attention, and, under the protection 
of St. Joseph, see what are the means of 
preparing ourselves for a happy death. 

FIRST POINT : In order to die well, we 
must confess our sins and receive the 
Holy Communion worthily. 

We may say that the best preparation 
for a happy death is a holy life ; also, that 
a tender devotion to St. Joseph is a great 
security in one's last moments ; and, finally, 
that all the practices and virtues to which 
the attention of the faithful has been called 



' Sancte Joseph, protector mori- 
entitt/u, ora pro nobis. 



St. Joseph, our protector in 
the hour of death, pray fur 



us. 




204 



Thirtieth Bay. 



during this month, besides aiding them to 
live in a holy manner, will assist them to 
die happily. But there is still another 
means, of which we have not yet spoken, 
haying reserved it for these last days, when 
the mind would naturally be better pre- 
pared to receive it as a truth. These 
means are Confession and Communion. 
The most ordinary, and yet the most essen- 
tial, preparation for a happy death is the 
worthy reception of the last sacraments. 
If in our last illness we cannot receive 
these sacraments, we must endeavor to 
make up for this loss by our fervent de- 
sires and frequent aspirations. We ought 
daily to pray for the worthy reception of 
the Holy Viaticum. 

Second Point: We should frequently 
approach the sacraments of Penance and 
Holy Eucharist. Our Holy Mother, the 
Church, has set apart a specified time, during 
which we are to confess and communicate 



Thirtieih Day. 



205 



under pain of mortal sin. '"'Confess your 
sins at least once a year," she says, and 
adds, " Receive your Creator at Easter." 
Observe that she says, " at least once a 
year," manifesting the desire she has of 
seeing her children approach oftener. The 
primitive Christians received Holy Com- 
munion every day, or at least as often as 
they assisted at the holy sacrifice. It is 
indeed a sad sight to see a parish the 
members of which seldom or never ap- 
proach the sacraments ; and the first step 
towards reformation in such should, be a 
change in this particular. It must not be 
fear that will induce us to receive the body 
and blood of J esus Christ \ but a loving 
heart, convinced of its own misery and 
nothingness, must seek for grace and virtue 
at the fount of mercy and love. The more 
frequently and fervently we receive these 
sacraments during life, the better prepared 
we will be to receive them at the hour of 



206 



Thiriieih Day. 



death. Let us, then, accustom ourselves 
to frequent Communion. 

Third Point: We should endeavor to 
prepare ourselves to receive Holy Com- 
munion during life with the same disposi- 
tions we would wish to have at the hour 
of death. Let us adopt this practice in 
the Communion that is to crown the devo- 
tion of this beautiful month of St. Joseph. 
Let us approach the holy table with deep 
sentiments of humility, love, hope, and 
contrition, that our Lord may not only 
condescend to abide in our hearts, but even 
desire to enter therein. We may be led to 
suppose that the thought of receiving our 
Lord for the last time would fill our hearts 
with fear and terror; but, on the contrary, 
it is the Holy Eucharist that makes the 
thought of death supportable and even 
sweet, enabling us to meet our Judge 
without fear, and stand in His august 
presence as a child before his father. If 



Thirtieth Bay. 



207 



so much depends on the worthy reception 
of the sacraments, Ave ought to be exceed- 
„ ingly circumspect in our preparation, omit- 
ting nothing that could in the least degree 
contribute to make that preparation more 
devout and pleasing to God. The words 
used by a holy bishop immediately before 
his death are applicable to all when receiv- 
ing the Holy Viaticum: " What need I 
fear in going to be judged by Him whom I 



GLORIOUS Joseph! my dear 



patron, inspire me with sentiments 
of the most ardent love towards Jesus in 
the Blessed Sacrament ; and, as I am about 
to receive Him at the close of this thy 
month, prepare, I beseech thee, my poor 
heart, that it may become an agreeable 
dwelling for Him. Grant that, by the 
worthy reception of this Sacrament during 



love ? " 



PRAYER. 




208 



Thirtieth Day. 



life, I may merit the same grace at the 
hour of my death. Yes, dear St. Joseph, 
then more than ever will I need thy assist- 
ance. Do not, I implore thee, refuse it ; 
stand near me in that fearful moment, and, 
when the last struggle is over, accompany 
me to the judgment-seat, and there, in 
union with the Blessed Virgin, plead for 
me until thou obtainest a favorable sen- 
tence, that with thee and my Mother Mary 
I may enjoy God for all eternity. Amen. 



RESOLUTIONS. 

TOURING the course of the day recall 
■f-^ to mind the preceding reflections. 

Repeat from time to time : St. Joseph, 
patron of a happy death, pray for us. 

Detach yourself from the goods of earth, 
and bestow an alms to-day for that inten- 
tion. 

Bear with the faults of others. 



Thirtieth Day, 



209 



Make some act of mortification in honor 
of the sufferings of Jesus. 

Say an Our Father and Hail Mary 
once, and St. Joseph, pray for us, three 
times. 



Jhirty-first Pay. 

BENEFITS DERIVED FROM DEVOTION TO 
ST. JOSEPH. 

T N closing this month of St. Joseph, we 
will form the resolution of reciting 
each day some prayer in his honor. We 
will endeavor to form the habit of fre- 
quently invoking the sweet names of Jesus, 
Mary, and Joseph, which will serve as 
ejaculatory prayers, to be repeated during 
the day and in the hour of temptation, 
trial, and danger, when everything seems 
dark around us, and we feel abandoned by 
God and man. This practice, together 
with sacrifices offered daily through the 
merits of Jesus Christ, in union with his 
blessed Mother and our dear lather, St. 
Joseph, will aid us in keeping the resolu- 



lions fo 



Thirty-first Day. 211 



lions formed during this month, and serve 
as incentives to our spiritual progress. 
Various examples have been set before us 
for our encouragement, and from which we \ 
are to select those most suitable to our 
station in life as rules for our future con- 
duct. The author of the " Imitation of 
Christ" justly observes that "without 
sacrifice we cannot live the life of love." 
Our progress in virtue will be according to 
the violence offered to self. Those souls, 
then, that are really desirous of advancing 
in perfection should endeavor to be pene- 
trated with the precious lesson, applicable 
to every condition of life, and suitable to 
the acquirement of all Christian virtue. 
When, at the close of day, we find that 
we have done nothing for the glory of God, 
we may justly say with the pagan emperor, 
Titus, who, regretting that no occasion 
of pleasing or benefiting others had been 
given him, exclaimed, "I have lost a day/* 



212 Thirty-first Day. 



Following the example of many de- 
vout clients of St. Joseph, let us choose 
Wednesday in each week as a day on 
which to render special homage to him, 
and endeavor to assist at the Holy Sacri- 
fice of the Mass on that day. St. Francis 
de Sales calls the Mass the sun of spiritual 
exercises, centre of Christian religion, heart 
of devotion, soul of piety, and abyss of 
divine charity, in which God, applying 
the merits of His precious blood, communi- 
cates to us His special graces and favors. 
If on that day we have not the happiness 
of making a sacramental Communion, we 
should at least make a spiritual one, which 
may be done by ardently desiring to re- 
ceive our Lord at the moment when the 
priest and faithful communicate, offering to 
Him sentiments of humility, respect, and 
love, imploring the forgiveness of our sins 
and the grace of being more faithful in 
future. In fine, during the course of the 



Thirty-first Day. 



213 



day, beg St. Joseph to offer all your actions 
to the Blessed Virgin, and through her to 
Jesus, that they may be offered by this 
divine Mediator to His Heavenly Father. 

We will strive to be faithful each year to 
the practices laid down in the month of St. 
Joseph, and during the month select a few 
days on which, in retreat, we may review 
the principal actions of our past life. 




ft.CT OF pONSECRATION TO jST. jToSEPH. 

T PRESENT myself before thee at 
the close of these exercises, to 
consecrate the remainder ot my life to 
thee. Accept, I beseech thee, this poor 
offering, and, in union with thy immacu- 
late Spouse, present it to Jesus, thy divine 
Son, by Him to be offered to His Heavenly 
Father, to receive the smile of approba- 
tion and the grace of final perseverance. I 
consecrate to thee my thoughts, that they 
may be always subject to reason, and 
guided by faith. Preserve me from being 
biassed in my opinions by the vain judg- 
ments of a wicked, deceitful world. I con- 
secrate to thee my heart, with its emo- 
tions, desires, and affections ; it needs 

more restraint than my understanding, on 
214 



Act of Con sec ratio ft to St. Joseph. 215 



account of its many attractions, prefer- 
ences, and weaknesses. I consecrate my 
senses to thee, together with all the 
actions in which they participate. Grant 
that, in being organs of the soul, they 
may be used in procuring the greater 
honor and glory of God. Instil into my 
soul a love ot virtue which will be the 
governing principle of all my actions, and 
guard me by thy grace and love against all 
the attacks of the evil one. I am surround- 
ed by dangers which threaten to prove 
my ruin ; even the little good I do is so 
fraught with self-love that it corrupts my 
best intentions. Overwhelmed with fear 
at the sight of so many obstacles, I cast 
myself before thee, imploring thy assist- 
ance, and renewing the offerings already 
made, as also the resolution of doing all 
for Jesus, in Him and through Him, that, 
serving Him faithfully in this life, I may 
enjoy Him for all eternity. Amen. 




J^ITANY OP $T. jIOSEFH* 

T ORD, have mercy. 

Lord, have mercy, 
Christ, have mercy. 
Christ, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God, the Father of Heaven, 

Have mercy on us. 
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, 

Have mercy on us. 
God the Holy Ghost, 

Have mercy on us. 

Holy Trinity, one God, 

Have mercy on us. 

216 



Litany of St. Joseph. 



Holy Mary, Spouse of Joseph, 1 
Holy Joseph, Spouse of the Virgin i 
Mary, 

Nursing-father of Jesus, 

Man according to God's own heart, 

Faithful and prudent servant, 

Guardian of the virginity of Mary, 

Companion and solace of Mary, 

Most pure in virginity, 

Most profound in humility, 

Most fervent in charity, 

Most exalted in contemplation, 

Who wast declared to be a just man 

by the testimony of the Holy Ghost 

Himself, 

Who wast enlightened above all in 

heavenly mysteries, 
Who wast the chosen minister of the 

counsels of the Most High, 
Who wast taught from above the 

mystery of the Incarnate Word, 



si8 



Litany of St. Joseph* 



Who didst journey to Bethlehem with 1 
Mary, thy spouse, 

Who, finding no place in the inn, didst 
betake thyself to a stable, 

Who wast thought worthy to be pre- 
sent when Christ was born and laid 
in a manger, 

Who didst bear in thine arms the Son 
of God, 

Who didst receive the blood of Jesus 
at His circumcision, 

Who didst present Him to His Father 1 
in the temple, with Mary, His Mo- 
ther, 

Who, at the warning of the angel, didst 
fly into Egypt with the child and 
His Mother, 

Who, when Herod w r as dead, didst re- 
turn with them into the land of Is- j 
rael, 

Who for three days, with Mary, His 
Mother, didst seek sorrowing the j 



Litany of St. Joseph. 



219 



child Jesus when He was lost at ' 
Jerusalem, 
Who, after three days, didst with joy 
find Him sitting in the midst of the 
doctors, 

Who hadst the Lord of lords subject to 

thee on the earth, 
Who v/ast the happy witness of His 

hidden life and sacred words, 
Who didst die in the arms of Jesus and 

Mary, 

Whose praise is in the Gospel : The 
spouse of Mary, of whom w T as born 
Jesus, 

Humble imitator of the Incarnate Word, 
Powerful support of the Church, 
'Our advocate, St. Joseph, hear us. 
Our patron, St. Joseph, graciously hear us 
In all our necessities, 
In all our distresses, 
In the hour of death, 
Through thy most chaste espousals, 



220 



Litany of St. Jweph. 



Through thy paternal care and fidelity, 1 
Through thy love of Jesus and Mary, 
Through thy labors and toils, 
Through all thy virtues, 
Through thy exalted honor and eter 

nal blessedness, 
Through thy faithful intercession 
We, thy clients, beseech thee, hear us. 
That thou wouldst vouchsafe to obtain ] 

for us from Jesus the pardon of our 

sin, 

That thou wouldst vouchsafe to com- 
mend us faithfully to Jesus and Mary, 

That thou wouldst vouchsafe to obtain 
for all, both virgins and married, the 
chastity belonging to their state, 

That thou wouldst vouchsafe to obtain 
for all congregations perfect love and 
concord, 

That thou wouldst vouchsafe to direct 
all rulers and prelates in the govern- 
ment of their subjects, 



Litany of St Joseph. 



2 



That thou wouldst vouchsafe to assist ' 
all parents in the Christian education 
of their children, 

That thou wouldst vouchsafe to pro- 
tect all those that rely upon thy pat- 
ronage, 

That thou wouldst vouchsafe to sup- 
port, with thy paternal help, all 
congregations instituted under thy 
name and patronage, 

That thou wouldst vouchsafe to visit 
and stand by us with Jesus and Mary 
in the last moment of our life, 

That thou wouldst vouchsafe to succor, 
by thy prayers and intercession, all 
the faithful departed, 

O chaste spouse of Mary, 

O faithful nursing-father of Jesus, 

Holy Joseph, 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins 
the world, spare us, O Lord. 



222 



Litany of St. yoseph. 



Lamb of God, who takest away the sins 
of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord. 

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins 
of the world, have mercy on us. 

Christ, hear us. 

Christ, graciously hear us. 

Pray for us, O blessed Joseph! that we 
may be made worthy of the promises of 



GOD ! who didst choose St. Joseph to 



be the spouse of Blessed Mary, ever 
virgin, and to be the guardian and foster- 
father of Thy beloved Son, our Lord Jesus 
Christ, we humbly beseech Thee to grant 
us, through his patronage and merits, such 
purity of mind and body that, being clean 
from every stain and clothed with the true 
marriage-garment, we may, by Thy great 
mercy, be admitted to the heavenly nup- 



Christ. 



Let us Pray. 




Litany of Si. Joseph. 



223 



tials: through the same Jesus Christ, our 
Lord. Amen. 

O God ! who in thine ineffable providence 
didst vouchsafe to choose blessed Joseph to 
be the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, 
grant, we beseech Thee, that w r e may be 
made worthy to receive him for our inter- 
cessor in heaven whom on earth we vener- 
ate as our holy protector : who livest and 
reignest, world without end. Amen. 

Guardian of virgins and father, holy 
Joseph, to whose faithful custody Christ 
Jesus, very Innocence, and Mary, Virgin 
of virgins, were committed, I pray and 
beg of thee by these dear pledges, Jesus 
and Mary, free me from all uncleanness, and 
make me, with spotless mind, pure heart, 
and chaste body ever most chastely to 
serve Jesus and Mary all the days of my 
life. Amen. 




f'R&YEi^ to p>r. Joseph, 
TO OBTAIN THE SPIRIT OF OUR VOCATION. 

LORIOUS St. Joseph ! chaste spouse 
of Mary, our good Mother, and 
nursing-father of Jesus, our amiable Sa- 
viour ; humbly prostrate at your feet, we 
choose you anew for our good father, and 
beg you to receive us among the members 
of your privileged children. 

We thank you with our whole heart for 
having given us a place in this holy family, 
of which you are the protector as the fa- 
ther. Burning with the desire of respond- 
ing worthily to our holy vocation, we con- 
jure you, with the most filial confidence, 
to obtain for us its spirit and virtues. Yes, 

great saint, grant that, following your ex- 
224 



grayer to Si. Joseph. 



ample, we may every day make new pro- 
gress in humility, obedience, recollection, 
the spirit of poverty, and, above all, in the 
love of Jesus and Mary. 

May we, like you, find our delight in 
serving this sweet Jesus in the person of 
His suffering members, as you had the 
happiness of serving Him in His own per- 
son. Deign to crown all your favors by 
obtaining for us the grace to die like you in 
the arms of Jesus and Mary, that we may 
go tt> share your happiness in the company 
of our beloved sisters who have gone be- 
fore us, and who await us near you in the 
heavenly country. Amen. 




NOYENA. TO p>T. ^JOSEPH, 

Directions for Each Day of the 
NOVENA.— Begin with the Litany of the 
Saints, say one of the following prayers, 
recite the Our Father and the Hail Mary 
three times, and conclude by the Obla- 
tiori: O holy Joseph! etc., found at the 
end of the X oven a. 

FIRST DAY. 

"O LESSED St. Joseph! born to be the 
guardian of Jesus, the protector and 
consoler of Mary, make powerful interces^ 
sion for me, that my pious resolutions may 
not prove abortive, that I may be born to 
an interior and spiritual life, that I may 
have such an increase of sanctity, so ardent 
a. love of purity, so great a conviction of 
my own vileness, so clear a light of the 

220 



Noveiia to St. Joseph. 



227 



emptiness and vanity of worldly grandeur, 
as to esteem and relish only things that 
are eternal. Through our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Amen. 



MNIPOTENT Creator! whose un- 



erring providence adds joy every 
moment to the angels in heaven and to the 
saints upon earth, I most humbly beg, 
through the intercession of St. Joseph, that 
I may cheerfully acquiesce and rejoice in 
everything that comes from Thy fatherly 
hand ; that I may be vigorous in executing 
Thy divine will, and glorify Thee in my 
present state. Grant me the true spirit of 
mortification to subdue my stubborn pas 
sions, to satisfy for what is past, and to be 
a preservation from future dangers. Grant 
that, by purity of intention, the meanest 
of my actions may be acceptable to Thee, 
as was the mite of the poor woman which 



SECOND DAY. 




228 



Novena to St. Joseph, 



was put into the treasury of the temple. 
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



MNIPOTENT God! at whose com- 



v - > ^ mand every tree produces fruit of 
its kind, grant, through the intercession of 
Mary and Joseph, that I may serve Thee 
faithfully in the state in which Thou hast 
placed me. I firmly believe all Thou hast 
revealed ; protect me, lest I should be found 
among the number of those foolish virgins 
who carried lamps without oil. Assist me 
with Thy powerful grace, that I may be 
humble, charitable, and chaste , and not 
be like the barren fig-tree, fit only to be- 
come fuel for eternal flames. This grace I 
implore through the infinite merits of Je- 
sus, my Saviour. Amen. 



THIRD DAY. 




Novena to St. yoseph. 



229 



FOURTH DAY. 

OLY GHOST ! God of all comfort ! if 



A Thou seest it expedient for the 
security of my salvation that I should be 
oppressed with tribulation, permit me not 
to fall. Infinite power! bear me up ; Thou 
knowest my weakness. Favor me with 
Thy grace, that I may be compassionate 
towards my neighbor, and govern myself 
with the same spirit of lenity and charity 
as if the case were my own. I deplore my 
censorious temper, and resolve to be upon 
my guard. I return Thee thanks for in- 
spiring me with the resolution of becoming 
better ; but of myself, I am not able to 
persevere in my good intentions. I beg 
Thy assistance, that I may fulfil what 
Thou commandest ; and then, dear Lord, 
command what Thou pleasest. Afflict 
me with such crosses as I can endure, 
that I may discharge at least a part of the 
great debt due to the divine justice. 




2 3° 



Novena io St. Joseph* 



Grant, through the intercession of St. Jo- 
seph, that after my temporal trials, whether 
exterior or interior, I may find that per- 
manent joy with which Thou renderest 
him and his Immaculate Spouse eternally 
happy. Through the merits of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, etc. Amen. 



Fifth Pay. 
INFINITE God ! how truly may it ' 



^- > ^ be said of me, The ox knoweth his 
owner, and the ass his master's crib, but 
thou knowest not thy Lord ! I admire thy 
love and charity. I am ashamed of my 
tepidity and ingratitude. Infinite Good- 
ness ! I come too late to love Thee ; but al- 
though it be the eleventh hour, bestow on 
me the promised reward ; be to me a Sa- 
viour. Thou who hast bled for me, let me 
partake of Thy eternal charity. Grant that 
through the intercession of St. Joseph, my 
good resolutions may be perfected. I also 




Noveim to St. jfosrp/i. 



beg that when 1 entertain Thee in the 
most blessed Sacrament, I may be favored 
with the same sentiments of adoration, 
love, and thanksgiving that St. Joseph 
experienced when received from Simeon 
to restore Thee to Thy blessed Mother, 
Amen, 

SIXTH DAY. 
ESUS, my Maker and my Master, 
without whose merciful assistance I 
walk in darkness and perish ! I most 
humbly beg, through the intercession of 
St. Joseph, that Thou wilt grant me grace 
to escape from the servitude of sin, under 
which I have so long groaned, in order 
that I may enjoy the liberty of Thy faithful 
servants. I have frequently experienced 
Thy goodness, and I know Thy power; 
my trust is in both. Oh ! grant me con- 
stancy to despise the allurements of the 
world, and to remain undaunted , under 
afflicting terrors. My dear Redeemer, I 



232 Novena io St. Joseph, 



have too often lost Thee by sin : I have 
willingly and wilfully parted with Thee to 
follow my corrupt inclinations. O God T 
who didst come to seek sinners, take pity 
on me, who am the greatest. Thou art 
now pleased to bless me with such a true 
sense of my former offences that I grieve 
not so much for the fear of punishment as 
for the misfortune of having offended Thee, 
the centre of all goodness. 

I steadfastly purpose, through Thy grace, 
to seek Thee seriously by the reformation 
of my life, that I may find Thee in the 
heavenly Jerusalem reigning with the 
Father and the Holy Ghost, world without 
end. Amen. 

SEVENTH DAY. 

OMNIPOTENT God! who descended 
from heaven to bring fire on earth, 
inflame my frozen heart, that I may imitate 
the virtues of St. Joseph. As a poor 



Novel ici to St. Joseph. 233 



wretch at the gate of some noble and 
generous prince, expecting an alms, so I 
appear before Thee, wounded in all my 
senses by sin, and imploring charity in my 
great distress. I grieve for what is passed, 
not because I fear, but because I love. 
Nothing has succeeded with me, because I 
never consulted Thee as I ought. I hope, 
O Lord ! that I do not come too late. I 
beg, through the intercession of St. Joseph, 
that I may avoid evil and do good ; that I 
may leave the broad road of iniquity, and 
walk in the narrow road that leads to 
eternal happiness ; that I may consecrate 
the remaining clays of my short life to Thy 
honor, and attain the end for which I was 
created — to admire, praise, and love Thee 
for ever and ever. .Amen. 

EIGHTH DAY. 

fp\ MOST glorious patriarch, my dear 
V-/ patron ! blessed are the eyes that 




234 



Novena to St. Joseph. 



see what you now see. Through the 
infinite merits of Christ, and by your 
powerful intercession, I hope, with holy 
Job, that in my flesh I shall see God my 
Saviour, Stretch out, in favor of your 
unworthy client, those happy arms that so 
often bore the Son of God and provided 
for Him. Petition that I may live, as I 
wish to die, always in the divine favor. I 
humbly implore you to entreat your Im- 
maculate Spouse to unite her supplications 
with yours, that I may be of the blessed* 
number of the elect. I most sincerely de- 
sire that you may be present at the dread- 
ful hour of my death, and that the last 
words uttered by my parting breath may 
be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. 

Thy mercy is above all thy works. O 
most holy Trinity ! I now appeal from the 
tribunal of Thy justice, and prostrate my- 
self before the throne of Thy mercy, to 
obtain the pardon of my sins, and grace to 



Novena to St. Joseph. 



235 



persevere in keeping Thy commandments 
to the end of my life. Who livest and 
reignest one God for ever and ever. Amen. 



OLY St. Joseph ! you who are that 



- - good and faithful servant to whom 
God committed the care of his family ; 
whom he appointed guardian and protector 
of the life of Jesus Christ, the comfort and 
support of his holy Mother, and the de- 
positary of his great design of the redemp- 
tion of mankind; you who had the happi- 
ness of living with Jesus and Mary, and 
of dying in their arms; chaste spouse of 
the Mother of God, model and patron of 
pure souls, humble, patient, and reserved, 
be moved with the confidence we place in 
your intercession, and accept with kindness 
this testimony of our devotion. 

We give thanks to God for the signal 
favor he hath been pleased to confer on 



NINTH DAY. 




236 



A T ovena to St. Joseph. 



you, and we conjure him, through your 
intercession, to enable us to imitate your 
virtues. Pray for us, then, O great saint ! 
and by that love which you had for Jesus 
and Mary, and by the love which they 
had for you, obtain for us the incomparable 
happiness of living and dying in the love 
of Jesus and Mary. Amen. 

A VOTIVE OBLATION TO ST. JOSEPH, TO 
CHOOSE HIM FOR OUR PATRON. 

f~^\ HOLY Joseph! virgin spouse of the 



^ J Virgin Mother of God, most glori- 
ous advocate of all such as are in danger 
or in their last agony, and most faithful 
protector of all the servants of Mary, your 
dearest Spouse, I, N., in the presence of 
Jesus and Mary, do, from this moment, 
choose you for my powerful patron and 
advocate, in order that I may obtain the 
grace of a most happy death ; I firmly re- 
solve and purpose never to forsake you, 




Noven a to St. Joseph, 237 



nor to say or do anything against your 
honor. Receive me, therefore, for your 
constant servant, and recommend me to 
the constant protection of Mary, your dear- 
est Spouse, and to the everlasting mercies 
of Jesus, my Saviour. Assist me in all the 
actions of my life ; I now offer them to 
the greater and everlasting glory of Jesus 
and Mary, as well as to your own. Amen. 





Chaste Spouse of the ever Immaculate and 
Blessed Virgin Mary, and repnfed 
Father of Jesus Christ. 

TO OBTAIN A HAPPY DEATH, AND OTHER 
GOOD INTENTIONS. 

\? VER blessed and glorious Joseph, kind 



^ and indulgent father, and compas- 
sionate friend of all in sorrow, through 
that bitter grief with which thy heart was 
saturated when thou didst behold the suf- 
% ferings of the Infant Saviour, and in pro- 
phetic view didst contemplate His most 
ignominious passion and death, take pity, 
I beseech thee, on my poverty and necessi- 
ties ; counsel me in my doubts, and console 
me in all my anxieties. Thou art the good 




Thirty Days' 1 Prayer io Si. Joseph. 



239 



father and protector of orphans, the advo- 
cate of the defenceless, the patron of those 
who are in need and desolation. Do not, 
then,' disregard the petition of thy poor 
child; my sins have drawn down upon 
me the just displeasure of my God, and 
hence I am surrounded with sorrows. 
To thee, O amiable guardian of the poor 
neglected family of Nazareth ! do I fly for 
shelter and protection. Listen, then, I en- 
treat of thee, with a father's solicitude, to 
the earnest prayer of thy poor supplicant, 
and obtain for me the objects of my peti- 
tion. I ask it by the infinite mercy of the 
eternal Son of God, which induced Him to 
assume our nature, and be born into this 
world of sorrow. I ask it by the grief 
which filled thy heart when, ignorant of 
the mystery wrought in thy Immaculate 
Spouse, thou didst fear thou shouldst be 
separated from her. 

I ask it by that weariness, solicitude, and 



240 Thirty Days' Prayer to St. Joseph. 



suffering which thou didst endure when 
thou soughtest in vain at the inns of Beth- 
lehem a shelter for the sacred Virgin and 
a birth-place for the Infant God, and 
when, being everywhere refused, thou wert 
obliged to consent that the Queen of 
Heaven should give birth to the world's 
Redeemer in a wretched stable. I ask it 
by that most sad and painful duty imposed 
on thee when, the divine Child being eight 
clays old, thou wert obliged to inflict a deep 
wound on His tender body, and thus be 
the first to make flow that sacred blood 
which w r as to wash away the sins of the 
world. I ask it by the sweetness and power 
of that sacred name, Jesus, which thou 
didst confer on the adorable Infant. I ask 
it by that mortal anguish inflicted on thee 
by the prophecy of holy Simeon, which 
declared the child Jesus and his holy Mo- 
ther the future victims of their love and 
our sins. I ask it through that sorrow and 



Thirty Days' Prayer to St. Joseph, ' 241 



anguish which filled thy soul when the 
angel declared to thee that the life of the 
child Jesus was sought by His enemies, 
from whose impious designs thou wert 
obliged to fly with Him and His blessed 
Mother into Egypt. I ask it by all the 
pains, fatigues, and toils of that long and 
perilous pilgrimage. I ask it by all the sor- 
rows thou didst endure when in Egypt 
thou wert not able, even by the sweat of 
thy brow, to procure poor food and cloth- 
ing for thy most poor family. I ask it by 
all the grief thou didst feel each time the 
divine Child asked for a morsel of bread, 
and thou hadst it not to give Him. I ask 
it by all thy solicitude to preserve the sa- 
cred Child and the Immaculate Mary dur- 
ing thy second journey, when thou wert 
ordered to return to thy native country. 
I ask it by thy peaceful dwelling in Naza- 
reth, in which so many joys and sorrows 
were mingled. I ask it by thy extreme af- 



242 Thirty Days' Prayer to St Joseph . 



fliction in being three days deprived of the 
company of the adorable Child. I ask it 
by thy joy at finding Him in the Temple, 
and by the ineffable consolation imparted 
to thee in the cottage of Nazareth with 
the company and society of the little Jesus. 
I ask it by that wonderful condescension 
by which He subjected Himself to thy will. 
I ask it through that dolorous view, con- 
tinually in thy mind, of all thy Jesus was 
to suffer. I ask it by that painful contem- 
plation which made thee foresee the divine 
little hands and feet, now so active in 
serving thee, one day to be pierced with 
cruel nails ; that head, which rested gently 
on thy bosom, crowned with sharp thorns; 
that delicate body, which thou didst ten- 
derly fold in thy mantle and press to thy 
heart, stripped and extended on a cross. I 
ask it by that heroic sacrifice of thy will 
and best affections, by which thou didst 
offer up to the Eternal Father the last 



lliirty Days' Prayer to St. Joseph. 243 



awful moment when the Man- God was to 
expire for our salvation. I ask it by that 
perfect love and conformity with which 
thou didst receive the divine order to de- 
part from this life and from the- company 
of Jesus and Mary. I ask it by that ex- 
ceeding great joy which filled thy soul 
when the Redeemer of the world, trium- 
phant over death and hell, entered into the 
possession of His kingdom, and conducted 
thee also into it with especial honors* I 
ask it through Mary's glorious assumption, 
and through that interminable bliss which 
with her thou wilt eternally derive from the 
presence of God. O good father! I be- 
seech thee, by all thy sufferings, sorrows, 
and joys, to hear me, and to obtain the 
grant of my earnest petitions. {Here name 
them or reflect on them}) Obtain for all 
those who have asked thy prayers all that 
is useful to them in the designs of God. 
And finally, my dear protector, be thou 



244 Thirty Days\ Prctyet to St. Joseph. 



with me and all who are dear to me in our 
last moments, that we may eternally chant 
the praises of 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Amen. 




